Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press are prepared by the Government Press Office as a service to foreign journalists in Israel. They express the views of the authors.
SITTING ON A POWDER KEG
(Commentary by Yoel Marcus, Ha'aretz, 23.03.97, p. A1)
On Thursday, he may have still served humus at the restaurant at which he worked in Rishon Lezion. On Friday, he blew himself up at the corner of Reines and Ben-Gurion Blvd. On Saturday, the home of the suicide bomber in the village of Tzurif was already sealed. This dreadful scene complete with the sirens, the blood, the hospitals, the panic and the shock is all too familiar.
It is, apparently, possible to be a nuclear power, to issue battle cries a-la [Justice Minister Tzachi] Hanegbi, to be on an "unprecedented supreme alert against attacks," as the media reported on Friday but we are still helpless against a suicide terrorist who strides slowly along a Tel Aviv street and chooses the time and the place to depart for the promised Paradise in a big bang. The sealing of a house, a punishment of long- standing, shows the extent to which we are helpless in the face of this kind of terrorism, which has no parallel in the world.
However, a suicide terrorist does not act alone. Someone recruits him, trains him, supplies him with explosives, instills motivation in him according to which murdering Jews, no matter if they are women or children, is part of the holy war against Israel. What deterrent power does sealing a house have, when the war should be conducted against organizations and infrastructures? And such a war can only be waged effectively by one man: Yasser Arafat. They are under his control. He has the required tools and his fight would also be more effective since Arabs can do to other Arabs what Jews cannot.
It is very easy to blame the stupidity of the sound and light show on Har Homa. However, that would not be just. Har Homa was not an act of terrorism at most, it was a mistaken decision. With the mistakes that Arafat has made one could rebuild the Wall of China. So what? Did we bomb their cafes? Did we blow up their civilian planes and buses? Of what worth is a peace process that does not have patience for mistakes as well? And how long can negotiations which operate by virtue of agreements signed by both parties last, if every time there is a disagreement they blow up one of our buses or restaurants? What public backing can this peace receive, when the life of a six-month old baby, dressed up as a clown, is not safe in the heart of Tel Aviv?
Terrorism is not an interest for our interlocutors. The suicide attacks during the days of the Peres government brought Netanyahu to power. Attacks now will bring the extreme Right to power. True, on both sides there are fanatics who need to be taken into account, but at least all our fanatics do is make noise; not blow up restaurants. And when Arafat releases 150 activists belonging to Hamas' military wing, and approves "letting off steam" in riots, and enables people like Ibrahim Muqadma (who himself deserves a cell-phone call) to incite against us he gives a green light to violence.
Even in the most serious disagreements, Arafat and Netanyahu should talk, just talk, no matter how long it takes. One should be careful with cigarette butts and burning matches when one is sitting on a powder keg.