After more than two years of a downward spiral in Israeli-Palestinian relations, the prospect of a new regional balance after an
anticipated American war on Iraq is concentrating Israeli and Palestinian minds.
Dr. Moshe Gottlieb, a chiropractor who moved to Israel from Los Angeles in 1978, was among the 19 people killed in the June 18 bus bombing in the neighborhood of Beit Safafa, near Gottlieb\’s home in Gilo.
Even before the first Israeli tanks swept into Ramallah at the start of Operation Protective Wall, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was being asked what he intended to do the day after the tanks withdrew. From day one, it was clear that the operation would not in itself put a stop to Palestinian terror. No matter how badly the terrorist infrastructure was hit, it would be only a matter of time until the suicide bombers were back on Israel\’s streets.
Unless, that is, there was some political solution to the Palestinian- Israeli conflict.
Last week, as a Palestinian terrorist murdered 22 Israelis sitting down to their Passover seder, the Al Aqsa Martyr\’s Brigade became the first group affiliated with Yasser Arafat\’s Fatah movement to be added to the U.S. list of Foreign Terrorist Organization since the United States normalized relations with the Palestinian Liberation Organization after the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993.
Composed of Arafat loyalists, funded by Fatah through the Tanzim militias, and assisted in coordination of their attacks by members of Arafat\’s Force 17 security services, the Al Aqsa Martyr\’s Brigade has dramatically outpaced Islamic extremist organizations like Hamas and Islamic Jihad in attacks on Israelis.
It began by happenstance. CNN reporter Steve Emerson was stuck in Oklahoma City on Christmas 1992 with nothing to do and wandered by the city\’s convention center, where a gathering of the Muslim Arab Youth Association was taking place.
A new weapon may have emerged in the Palestinians\’ battle against Israel — the "siren call."
Israeli military sources were quoted as saying the army had postponed a planned action in Beit Jalla by a day.
As the United States and other Western powers try to reduce Israeli-Palestinian tensions, Iran moved this week to fan the flames.
A national unity government appears increasingly likely as envoys from the Likud and Labor parties work to overcome some snags in negotiations.
Bill Clinton is wasting his time. The chances of a meaningful Israeli-Palestinian deal before he hands over the presidency to George W. Bush on Jan. 20 are negligible.
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