Houston Chronicle, December 4, 2001

It's up to Arafat to Decide if He Truly Wants Peace

By Donna De La Paz

So horrendous was the series of terror outrages that struck Israel over the weekend – two suicide bombing attacks in Jerusalem and a third in Haifa – that President Bush was moved to place the onus squarely on Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian people, to end the violence. Not only were they among the most horrific acts of the daily Palestinian violence of the past 14 months. They were carried out just as the Bush Administration launched a new initiative, dispatching General Anthony Zinni to the region in an effort to negotiate a cease-fire that could bring about a resumption of peace negotiations. The inability, or unwillingness, of Arafat to ensure that General Zinni would have a productive trip is all too reminiscent of the way the Palestinian leader treated former President Clinton, as late as last January, when he, in effect, snubbed both Israel and the U.S. at Taba, Egypt, choosing to continue the campaign of violence he launched in September 2000, instead of pursuing negotiations, to achieve his political goals. Last weekend’s horrific bombing attacks were just the latest in a series of targeted, brutal terrorist attacks on restaurants, discotheques, shopping malls, open-air markets, and public buses throughout Israel. President Bush has said since September 11 that there are no distinctions between good terrorists and bad terrorists; terrorists are terrorists, phraseology long used by Israeli leaders. Over the weekend, the president, reflecting a deep empathy and understanding with what the people of Israel are facing, made clear that Arafat, long on promises but murderously deficient in action, must make a 100 percent effort to end Palestinian terrorism against Israel. “Now more than ever, Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must demonstrate through their actions, and not merely their words, their commitment to fight terror,” Bush said. Washington clearly understands Israel’s 53-year quest for peace, as well as Israel’s right for self-defense and the military action Israel took against Palestinian Authority facilities to combat terrorism. More than a year ago, at Camp David with U.S. backing, Israel made a historic offer to the Palestinians that would have led to a resolution of all outstanding issues. A permanent peace could have been achieved through bilateral negotiations. But shortly thereafter, the Palestinian leadership made a calculated decision to walk away from the peace process and to embark on a path of violence. The significant gains in Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking made during the past decade have been effectively nullified by the daily terror attacks against Israelis since the Palestinians chose violence over negotiations. These attacks, incited and condoned by a Palestinian leadership that refuses to take consistent action against the individuals and organizations responsible, have left hundreds of Israelis dead and thousands wounded. And they have destroyed Israeli confidence in the Palestinian commitment to peace. For too long the international community has tolerated this continuing Palestinian terrorism against Israel. European leaders, apparently careful not to give offense to Chairman Arafat, have too often responded to terror outrages against Israelis with solemn calls for ‘both parties’ to eschew violence. In fact, European Union and Arab League nations, among others, are scheduled to meet in Geneva on Wednesday for the exclusive purpose of condemning Israel for supposedly violating the Fourth Geneva Convention. In 52 years, the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention have never been convened to discuss the action of any other country. It is time for the democracies of Europe, as well as America’s friends among moderate Arab states, to change course and join the United States in true solidarity with democratic Israel: to not only rhetorically condemn Palestinian terror against Israelis but to apply economic and political pressure on the Palestinian leadership so that Arafat will finally see that in the eyes of the world he has no choice but to act decisively against terror. Regrettably, European and Arab states’ acquiescence to terror has sent the Palestinians a far different and misguided message, particularly over the past year, that if they wait long enough, Israel can be brought to heel. Now, with the United States making a new effort to achieve a cease-fire and bring about the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, Arafat must make a decision. He can continue to allow the terrorists to roam freely in territories in Gaza and the West Bank under his control, or he can arrest and prosecute them, breaking terror’s grip and making a political solution possible. The Palestinian leadership cannot have it both ways – it is either diplomacy or terrorism, and it is up to Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to decide if they truly want peace. Donna DeLaPaz is the executive director of the Houston Chapter of the American Jewish Committee.

De La Paz is executive director of the Houston Chapter of the American Jewish Committee and a member of the Texas Coalition Against Hate Crimes (TCAHC). Samuels is the domestic policy chair of the Houston Chapter of the American Jewish Committee and member of the TCAHC.