Israel- Update

I’m writing this Israel update nearly two weeks before our convention and as you all know plenty can change in the Middle East area in two weeks. On the one hand we see efforts to resume the peace talks, but on the other hand, the terrorists continue to act against civilians.

Yesterday for example Yasser Arafat said he will tell his people to stop shooting missiles rockets but they didn’t. Everything changes quickly.

Israel Update – 3 questions regarding the situation:

 Is it Lebanon all over again?

The El Aktza Intifadah has changed its face. What was portrait at the beginning as a legitimate civil rebel and an authentic attempt of the Palestinians to show their distress turned into a well organized, well planned guerilla style violent activities with the purpose to turn the west bank into a second Lebanon and push out Israel using violence that will make the life of Israelis impossible.

3 bombs in Cfar Saba , 2 soldiers killed by Palestinian snipers from a range of over 1000 feet, a 10 month old baby killed by a sniper in her father’s arms, Katyusha (missile rockets) that were shot several times at the “Gush Katif” settlements in the Gaza strip (severely wounding a 15 months baby)and places inside the “green line”, dozens of shooting incidents at civilian cars at road sides, etc, show that the Palestinian fight is not fought anymore by the child that throws the stone, but by the soldier who holds the sniper gun and aims it at it’s innocent target 1000 feet away. Another phenomenon of the last weeks is the “division of work” between the different Palestinian organizations. While the “official” organizations that affiliated with the PA (such as the Tanzim and the 17^th brigade) focus on attacking IDF targets and West Bank settlements (that are regarded less problematic in terms of public opinion and legitimacy) the extreme Islamic groups (Hamas, Islamic Gihad) are trying to hurt Israelis within the Green line (1967 borders). In the last week we have seen more and more terror acts in major Israeli cities, together with an escalation of violence in the Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

What is on the Palestinian mind?

Why the escalation in violence? The escalation on the Palestinian side comes from the understanding that many of the points they scored in the beginning of the Intifadah (mainly in the world public opinion) are lost now. Many around the world understand now that the Palestinian are not the suffering poor people that are being victimized by the strong Israelis. The world realizes that the picture is more balanced and that Israelis are being attacked in a systematic way by armed Palestinians that would use any way or method as violent as it might be. Even Arab countries such as Egypt and Jordan are starting to back their support for Arafat. The U.S. made it clear that it sees Arafat as the main person who is responsible for the violence and in Europe many are showing growing anger at the Palestinians. As Arafat realize that his time is running out, he is doing whatever is possible to bring Israel to its knees as quickly as possible, and that means using more force and more violence in order to push Israel to the corner and force it to give up the fight or to retaliate in a painful way. (An act that will bring back the support for the Palestinians)   

What Israel is doing?

Israel has a new unity government. Combining the most right wing politician ever to be a PM (Ariel Sharon) and the most Left wing “peacenick” foreign Minister ( Sim’on Peres). The4 combination of them both is bringing about a weird and hybrid sort of policy.

On one hand, Israel is retaliating forcefully, attacking by Helicopters and tanks Palestinian targets, and sending “elimination” squads to kill Palestinian terrorists and activists in the heart of Palestinian ruled area. By that Israel is telling the PA that it won’t give up and won’t agree to the escalation in the violence. On the other hands, through Peres and others Israel is resuming the negotiations and the talks that would hopefully put an end to the fire and would bring the sides back to the peace table. This policy leads to the most astonishing sight (this could happen only in the Middle East) where while Palestinians and Israelis fight each others in the West Bank, the leaders of the Palestinian security agency come to visit and talk to their colleagues in Tel Aviv, and Gibril Ragub, the Head of the Palestinians security forces is calling his friends in the Israeli side on their cell phones in order to wish them Happy Pesach .

During the convention we will have time to go over the news and try and undersatand it better,

Looking forward to seeing you.