SUPPORT FOR TERROR HAS NOT DIMINISHED
(Article by Danny Rubinstein, "Ha'aretz", Aug 29, 1995, p.B1)
Over the weekend, Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmad Yassin called (from his prison cell) for the opening of a dialogue between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. "Palestinians who direct their weapons at their brothers are committing an unforgivable crime," wrote the ailing sheikh, who was released from the Prisons' Authority hospital in Ramle last week. The Palestinian Authority official in charge of economics, Ahmad Qreia
(Abu Alla) welcomed "the wise call from the lips of a wise man." (The quotes are from eastern Jerusalem newspapers).
These statements were made in the wake of last week's events, beginning with the capture of Hamas fugitives headed by Wa'il Nasser, who planned suicide attacks in Israel in Gaza, and continuing with the fatal attack in the Ramot Eshkol neighborhood of Jerusalem, the exposure of Hamas gangs in the West Bank, and the killing of two Hamas fugitives in Hebron. The Palestinian Authority and Hamas have already learned to live side-by-side; each time there arises some concern that tensions between them are rising, figures on both sides rush to try and calm passions. Even though there is no official agreement between them, the series of understandings reached in recent months are sufficiently clear. Hamas leaders have promised not to operate from within the Palestinian Authority areas of Gaza and Jericho, and the PA does not cause too much trouble for Hamas members who are "a limb in the body of the Palestinian people," as Palestinian leaders often declare. In this manner, Arafat and his spokesmen were able to announce over the weekend that these understandings remain intact.
And it has indeed become clear that the suicide terrorists responsible for the attacks in Ramat Gan and Jerusalem are from the West Bank, not Gaza. The command group, which activated them, was located in Nablus which still remains under the full responsibility of the Israeli security services. Even statements announcing the recent attacks did not come from Gaza, but from Damascus. Arafat's men are saying that, if individuals from Gaza and Jericho are involved in Hamas terrorism, the Palestinian security forces act against them. Accordingly, Wa'il Nasser's gang was arrested and, on Saturday, two persons accused of assisting the Nablus-based suicide squad were quickly sentenced to long prison terms. Arafat has promised to investigate Israeli charges that Yihye Ayash and Ahmad Diff are in Gaza, from where they are directing these gangs; Arafat has even issued an order to search for the two, and to arrest them.
These understandings account for another pattern of Palestinian behavior; while the terrorism of suicide attackers has been condemned by the official leadership, manifestations of satisfaction and that is an understatement have been apparent among the masses. Over the weekend, I asked an acquaintance from eastern Jerusalem whether the televised scenes of joy expressed by the Hebron father singing and dancing upon learning of his son's death and mother (saying that if only all her sons could die this way) had shocked them. The answer I received was astonishing; "that's how it is with people from Hebron," they said.
A teacher from Bir Zeit told me that he went shopping in Ramallah on Monday afternoon, when the pictures of burnt buses in Ramot Eshkol were shown. He heard people say: "What's this? Two buses with dozens of passengers, and only five casualties?"
According to Palestinian public opinion polls, while there has been a drop in support for terror and suicide attacks particularly against Israeli civilian targets broad support continues to exist.
Palestinian figures say that the expressions of joy over attacks, the dances of the parents of the dead in Hebron, and the support for terrorism show not only deposits of hatred toward Israel. According to these Palestinians, they are also expressions of anger over what appears to them to be Israel's rejectionist position, and the provocation of the settlers. Either way, an infrastructure of Palestinian public solidarity serves as a comfortable foundation for both the recruitment of more suicide attackers, and the continuation of murderous terrorism.
It is almost certain that these understandings between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, and the popularity of terrorism, will endure even after Oslo II is implemented and PA rule is expanded beyond Gaza to include most of the Palestinians in the West Bank. Then, Hamas squads will find it difficult to act not only from Gaza and Jericho, but also from Nablus and Hebron.
Where then will the organization move its bases, and from where will its suicide terrorists leave on their missions? One can only guess at the answer to territories whose security remain under Israel's responsibility; in other words, to the rural districts of the West Bank
(what is called Area B) and to the large Arab neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem. They may even make efforts to recruit commanders and squads of Islamic radicals from among the Arab population within the Green Line areas of Israel.
In this new situation, there exists a danger that it will be more difficult to suppress terror, but there also exists the chance that the maneuvering room available to the terrorists will be reduced.