Never-Ending

After four years of the intifada, violence continues at brisk clip.

GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Jerusalem
alestinians and Israelis, who for almost a
decade seemed on the verge of historic
reconciliation, turned in opposite direc-
tions — killing each other, hating each other and
losing hope. Who is winning this intifada? Who
is losing?
Some losers are painfully obvious: According to
figures released Sept. 27 by the Shin Bet security
service, 1,017 Israelis and foreigners have been
killed since the outbreak of the Palestinian intifa-
da in September 2000 and 5,598 have been
wounded. According to unofficial Palestinian fig-
ures, at least 3,300 Palestinians have died in the
conflict — not to speak of the thousands of
wounded, crippled and imprisoned.
The intifada broke out after Ariel Sharon, then
Israel's opposition Likud leader, visited the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem's Old City, a site holy to both
Jews and Muslims, on Sept. 28, 2000. Some have
insisted Sharon's visit triggered the uprising, while
others have argued that the outing was simply
used as a pretext for Palestinians to revolt.
Either way, rioting soon engulfed the territories,
spilling over briefly into Arab population centers
inside Israel, and Israel reacted harshly. The area
has since been caught in a bloody cycle of action
and reaction whose end is not in sight.
This intifada, the second such uprising against
Families of Yuval Ababa, 4, and Dorit Einiso, 2, mourn during their funerals in Sderot, Israel. The two children were
Israel, has been the longest war in the long Arab-
killed in a Palestinian rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on Sept. 29 during Sukkot. At least 10 Israelis were hurt.
Israeli conflict.
In pure military terms, there is no doubt that
Israel has won the war. Israel has conducted a tar-
dous terrorist attacks in the history of the Middle East.
executive director David Harris said, "There's a change
geted and extensive military campaign to go after the
They have included the June 2001 Dolphinarium
in the tone and the substance of these meetings." Arab
terrorists. And Israeli forces now control most of the
disco attack in Tel Aviv in which 21 youngsters were
officials, he said, spoke openly about their hope for a
major population centers that the Palestinians had
killed, and the 2002 Passover massacre at the Park
successor to Arafat.
regained during the Oslo peace process. Palestinian ter-
Hotel in Netanya in which 30 people were killed and
And last week, the Palestinian Authority's prime
rorism is being contained and Israelis have learned to
more than 100 wounded.
minister, Ahmed Qurei, called on his people to rethink
live with whatever terrorism remains.
Nevertheless, the Palestinian cause has lost little cred- their fight against Israel. "This [intifada] anniversary
If the Palestinians had hoped to shift the national
it in world public opinion. By and large, the outside
should make us all — the people, factions and
mood in Israel toward defeatism, they have achieved
world linked Palestinian terrorism with the Israeli
Palestinian Authority — reconsider the past four years,
the opposite: Many Israelis who had been strong advo-
occupation. There was the paradox: As Israel paid a
where we went wrong and where we went right," he
cates of dialogue with the Palestinians no longer believe steadily growing price in blood, anti-Israeli and anti-
said.
the conflict can be resolved.
Jewish feelings in Europe soared.
Still, the Palestinians are largely seen as the under-
In the face of Israeli military superiority, the
Still, there is evidence that this may be changing.
dogs in the conflict with Israel, and in that regard, the
Palestinians turned to their own so-called "F-16," the
Last week, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the writing was on the wall almost from day one.
suicide bomber. Palestinian groups — first the Islamist
lack of Palestinian political reform has led donors who
On Sept. 30, 2000, as the intifada was erupting,
Hamas, and then secular organizations such as the Al-
provide financial assistance to the Palestinians to grow
Mohammed Al-Durrah, a 12-year-old Palestinian boy,
Aksa Brigade of Palestinian Authority President Yasser
weary.
was shot dead in his father's arms, tragically caught in
Arafat's Fatah faction — have staged 138 suicide
U.S. President George Bush, who has shunned
the crossfire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian
attacks and 13,730 shooting attacks since the start of
Arafat since entering the White House, called on the
policemen. Though investigations later showed that Al-
the intifada, according to the Shin Bet statistics.
world community to end its support of "corrupt"
Durrah probably was killed by a bullet from the
Palestinian leaders in a speech to the U.N. General
Palestinian side, in the Palestinian narrative he has
Assembly.
become a symbol of the innocent Palestinian victim in
Grim Litany
After recent meetings with Arab diplomats at the
Suicide bombers have staged some of the most horren-
INTIFIDA on page 40
U.N. General Assembly, American Jewish Committee

po

SS

10/ 8
2004

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