•-411r4r4I-
-411KidrAPAIrjr.idrAr-40r.0" ■ 1111.-
-111.1411 ■ 1111.-
-1111.-
11 ■ 1161111.-
-110111.1111.-*
Lease Pull Ahead Ext. Until Jan 2nd
Leases Expiring Between 12/1/03 - 6/30/04
50% DOWN PAYMENT MATCH UP TO $2000*
First Step
With Purchase of 2004 SLS Receive Social Membership To One Of
The Area's Finest Private Golf Clubs
2004 BLS
After the euphoria of Saddam's capture, the U.S.
and Israel still have a long way to go.
LESLIE SUSSER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Jerusalem
sraelis have a long score to settle
with Saddam Hussein:
The former Iraqi dictator
promised to destroy the Jewish
state, fired 39 Scud missiles at Israeli
cities during the Persian Gulf War
and paid hundreds of thousands of
dollars to families of Palestinian sui-
cide bombers.
So, not surprisingly, Israelis were
jubilant at the news of Saddam's cap-
ture by American forces in Iraq, a
mood reflected by the Tel Aviv stock
exchange, which rose more than 3
percent Dec. 14.
But seasoned Israeli analysts are less
euphoric. While acknowledging a
best-case scenario in which Saddam's
capture spurs the Israeli-Palestinian
peace track puts pressure on Syria to
seek a peace agreement and enhances
Israel's strategic position in the
region, they say that much still has to
happen in Iraq for that scenario to
materialize.
The key question, they say, is
whether Saddam's capture leads to a
significant reduction in the number
of guerrilla attacks on U.S. and allied
forces and leads to a more stable, pro-
American Iraqi regime. If that hap-
pens, the benefits for Israel could be
enormous.
But if the attrition and chaos con-
tinue, the positive impact of Saddam's
capture could dissipate quickly.
On the face of it, Saddam's final,
ignominious exit should put more
pressure on the Palestinians to seek
an accommodation with Israel. The
radical Arab forces pressing the
Palestinians to reject all peace offers
have been weakened, and Saddam's
capture further reduces the radical
hinterland Palestinian hard-liners
look to for support.
Conversely, it strengthens America's
regional standing and adds weight to
the U.S.-sponsored "road map" for
Israeli-Palestinian peace.
In the Ma'ariv newspaper, analyst
Ben Caspit wrote about an Israeli
establishment assessment that "the
removal of Saddam from the cata-
I
logue of burning problems will
release new energy in America's
involvement here."
Caspit assumes that the road map
will be strengthened, the Palestinian
Authority and Israeli prime ministers
— Ahmad Qurei and Ariel Sharon —
will be forced to deal with each other,
and Sharon's putative unilateral steps,
Will be deferred.
U.S. Factor
But will the Americans, still
embroiled in Iraq, have the resolve to
exploit the moment to pressure both
Palestinians and Israelis to move for-
ward? Israeli Cabinet ministers think
not. On the contrary, they expect
American pressure on Israel to ease.
Public Security Minister Tzachi
Hanegbi, for example, believes the
Untied States now will be "far more
confident in carrying out its cam-
paign against the Axis of Evil' and
give Israel more leeway in fighting
terror.
Any reduction of American pres-
sure would be a problem, said analyst
Yossi Alpher, co-editor of the Israeli-
Palestinian Bitterlemons.org Web site
and a former senior Mossad opera-
tive.
In Alpher's view, the capture of
Saddam will only move the Israeli-
Palestinian track forward if President
Bush follows it up by "knocking
some heads together" on both sides of
the Israeli-Palestinian divide. "But,"
says Alpher, "this is not the direction
we are moving in.
"On the contrary, we are moving
toward low-level crisis management
throughout the U.S. election period
and throughout the crisis in Iraq —
and the U.S: is still facing a crisis in
Iraq."
Writing in Yediot Achronot, analyst
Nahum Barnea doubted whether
Sharon will exploit the American suc-
cess to take the initiative on the
Palestinian track.
"What can Sharon learn from
Bush's achievement?" he asked. "First,
that he who dares, wins. He sets the
agenda. Sharon has known this truth
for 50 years. But knowledge is one
thing, action another: The chasm is
FIRST STEP on page 20
$47 9
AUDETTE
wwvv.audettecadillac.com
/Mo. Lease
36 Mos.
BREAK ..0 „THROUGH
-
7100 Orchard Lake Road, W. Bloomfield
Mon. & Thurs. till 9; Tues., Wed., Fri. till 6
1-888-920-5417
*12K miles/yr. lease, plus tax, title, plate; all rebates to dealer. Must qualify for employee pricing
and GMAC credit. $1168.91 total due for Seville.
R.
They look like shutters. Work like
blinds. To look at them you'd swear
they're real wood shutters. Buy you
can open and close the slats, or raise
and lower them, just like a blind.
Best of all, they're EverWood®,
an alternative wood blind with the
character and warmth of real wood.
Which means they won't crack, peel,
warp or fade. Even in humid areas
like the kitchen or bathroom.
Free In-Home Service • Free Professional Measure At No Obligation
ih
c e
w,4, q4,4440ipi.
BLIND
visit our website
www. B lindSp ot D eco r. c o m
Call today for a free
in-home presentation
Southfield • 248-352-8622
Canton • 734-692-5002
21728 W. Eleven Mile Rd. • Harvard Row Mall • Southfield, MI 48076
We appreciate your business!
At. :4
12/19
2003
19