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Eye on Israel

June 9, 2001

The fragile cease-fire was immediately threatened by violence. At least three Israeli soldiers were wounded during a gunbattle with Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military sources say the Palestinians opened fire Monday with anti-tank grenades at soldiers working on a fence in the southern Gaza Strip on the border with Egypt.

Tens of thousands of Israelis demonstrated in Jerusalem Thursday night under the slogan, "Arafat Must Be Defeated." The demonstrators, mostly religious Zionists and residents of Judea and Samaria, called on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to unleash Israel's military might. Demonstrators criticized Sharon for holding back retaliation for a suicide attack in Tel Aviv which killed 20 people, most of them teenagers. "We Must Overcome Arafat" read a banner over the demonstration's central stage at Zion Square in the heart of Jerusalem. The demonstrators’ anger was heightened by an attack Tuesday when Palestinian stone-throwers seriously wounded a 5-month-old Jewish baby as his family drove in Samaria. The baby remains in critical condition. Another Israeli was shot and wounded while driving near Ramallah.

The terrorist group Hamas, which claimed responsibility for Friday's bombing, released a statement saying it would end attacks inside Israel starting today to give Israelis a chance to stop what it called "terror" against Palestinians. However, the group said it would continue its terrorism against Israelis in the disputed territories. Separately, several Hamas officials stressed the fight against Israel continues.

Israel has made clear that all necessary measures will be taken to defend its citizens. Palestinians have evacuated official and public buildings in the West Bank and Gaza in expectation of Israeli retaliation for the Tel Aviv bombing. Israel has already taken a number of steps to boost security. Palestinians are banned from traveling on the same roads as Israelis in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel has also sealed off the Palestinian territories, shutting down Gaza international airport.

U.S. Steps Up Mediation Efforts
The Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, met Friday with top Israeli and Palestinian security officials in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Tenet is facing the challenge of resolving conflicting demands from both sides. Israel wants the Palestinian Authority to arrest terrorists from the groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad that have been behind recent bombings. Palestinians reject that demand, but want Israel to lift its blockade of Palestinian areas and pull forces back to positions held before the terrorism began in late September. Mideast envoy William Burns has also arrived in the region for talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the next few days. Burns is trying to get the parties to agree on a timetable to implement the recommendations of a U.S. led-commission that looked into more than eight months of bloodshed.

Secretary of State Colin Powell urged Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to take steps to end the violence in the Middle East. In an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press," he said he believes the Palestinian leader has the power to end the bloodshed. "He cannot control every last person, he cannot control every last organization. But I think he has a great deal of control. He has the moral authority as the leader of the Palestinians. People look to him for leadership," Powell said.
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EU and UN Enter the Fray
The international presence in the Mideast will intensify in the coming days. European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana and Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson are expected in the region late Saturday. And U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan will visit next week. Earlier this week, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer met with Arafat in Ramallah and urged him to enforce a cease-fire.

Sharon Calls Arafat a Murderer and Liar
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Tuesday called Palestinian terrorist leader Yasser Arafat a "murderer" and "pathological liar." Sharon's came just three days after the Israeli security cabinet issued a statement saying that "the Palestinian Authority and Arafat are involved in terror, encourage terror, and incite to hatred and violence." A government official attributed Sharon's remarks to a campaign to persuade the international community, especially the European Union, to apply pressure on Arafat to stop the campaign of terrorism that Arafat initiated in September. The U.S. has refused to meet with Arafat since President Bush took office in January.

Missing Israeli-Arab Journalist Escapes from Palestinian Captors
An Israeli-Arab journalist missing since early April has reappeared, saying he escaped his Palestinian captors in the West Bank town of Bethlehem. Yousef Samir arrived at an Israeli army checkpoint on a road between Bethlehem and Jerusalem late Wednesday. The 63-year-old journalist, who worked for Israeli Radio's Arabic news service, said he was abducted by members of the Palestinian security service.

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