But wait just a moment. This scenario is played out all too often for the world to just move on. Yitzchak Rabin's statements of grief, if one can aply that moniker to his emotions, were reserved only for the two soldiers killed in the attempt to rescue one of them from captivity. The two people killed in the Nahalat Shiva massacre, one of them a soldier in uniform, were virtually ignored by Rabin. But more of that later.
When news of the kidnapping of Cpl. Nachshon Waxman broke, Rabin immediately announced that he was holding Arafat personally responsible for Waxman's safety. At last, Rabin was beginning to realize that Arafat is still the terrorist he always was, even though it was not Arafat's faction that was directly responsible. At last, Rabin did not excuse Arafat by saying that he has no control over Hamas. At last, Rabin realized that if Arafat really were to be the leader of a Palestinian state, something everyone now knows Rabin supports, then he would have to be able to control alll Palestinians, not just some factions, just as Rabin must control his own opponents, like Kach.
Arafat had a problem. How to come out of the kidnapping victorious, (i.e. with Waxman dead) and still keep the diplomatic process alive that would eventually lead to the creation of a Palestinian state from which he could direct the murders of more Nachshon Waxman's at his will. Rabin had just broken off the talks and announced Arafat's ultimate responsibility.
Yet Arafat, ever the diplomat, rose to the occasion. He offered to help Rabin find the missing soldier. He ordered his police force to arrest hundreds of Hamas activists in an effort to get the information Rabin so desparately needed. He succeeded. The Toronto Star (15 October) raised the possibility that Arafat tipped off Rabin as to the whereabouts of Waxman, and how many kidnappers there were, and then tipped off the kidnappers that there was about to be a raid. The kidnappers shot Waxman twice, and killed him, before the raid began. One other soldier was killed during the raid, as were all the kidnappers save one. By the raid ending in the deaths of these two soldiers, of course, Arafat can now blame Israel for their deaths, and after a suitable time, something around six to eight weeks, the negotiations will resume. Count on it.
Rabin's reaction was what one would expect from any Israeli prime minister before him, but were quite uncharacteristic of Rabin. First, Rabin was quoted as saying, "I would be happy to give back the Nobel Peace Prize to bring back to life both of the soldiers who fell." The next quote is even more interesting: "This (the raid) is part of a policy of an all-out war against terrorism. Whoever wants to advance peace must fight the radical, murderous terrorists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the rejectionists because they are the murderers of peace."
Well. If there is a policy of an all-out war against terrorism, this is the first time anyone has heard about it. I would argue the contrary: by negotiating with Arafat, the world's number one terrorist, Rabin has sanctioned terrorism, not declared war on it. If Rabin really wants to advance peace, the PLO with all of its factions must be added to the list of "murderous terrorists" against whom Israel must prevail. After all, Arafat is being held responsible, is he not? Well, we will see how responsible when the negotiations resume.
It might be interesting to point out here that one of the two terrorists responsible for the Nahalat Shiva massacre was a member of the PLO police force, and that the guns used in the attack were the property of that force. Yet, apart from announcing that the guns were PLO property, Rabin maintained a stony silence about the incident. After all, he was about to be awarded the Nobel Peace prize together with Arafat -- the same Nobel Peace prize he so much wants to give back now that Nachshon Waxman and Captain Nir Poraz are dead.
Well, perhaps Rabin should give back the prize after all. In the first place, Arafat shares it. And as Rabin himslef has stated, "whoever wants to advance peace must fight the radical, murderous terrorists", not share awards with them. Kare Kristiansen was, of course, correct. Arafat has "used violence and terrorism as his weapon and is the cause of the death of so many people in the Middle East", and is not a peace-loving statesman. Just to share in the Nobel Peace Prize is now a curse, and Rabin should want no part of it.
But even more than that, Rabin is not responsible for peace breaking out in the region. Indeed, it is to his discredit that Waxman, Poraz, and seventy other Israelis have been killed in the thirteen months. All this because Rabin does not "want to advance peace". He is talking to "radical murderous terrorists", and should therefore be stripped of his prize as well.
It will not bring back Waxman and Poraz, but Rabin should give the prize back anyway. It is the only honourable thing to do.
Copyright 1994. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
