The choice to withhold the pledged money, on the part of the donor countries, is a wise one. We must realize that this money was pledged in the belief that Yasser Arafat was truly interested in reaching a peaceful settlement with Israel, which was to include the cessation of terrorism, its condemnation by Arafat, and the removal of 26 out of the 33 clauses of the Palestinian Covenant -- those 26 that call for Israel's annihilation and invalidity.
None of these conditions have been met. Yasser Arafat has not yet ever directly condemned terrorism. Even the October 19 bombing of the bus in Tel Aviv, which killed 22 people and injured 48 others, provoked only a statement read by a spokesman. And that attack was only a part of a growing trend in Israel to kill Jews at will. Yet when one deranged individual killed 29 Palestinian-Arabs who, evidence has now shown, were planning a similar massacre that very day, Yitzchak Rabin was quick to condemn the attack, and continued to condemn it repeatedly for two months afterward. He even begged Bill Clinton not to veto the UN resolution condemning it, even though it referred to Jerusalem as occupied territory.
Yasser Arafat has made it quite plain that he has no intention of amending the Covenant in any way. He has publicly referred to the current diplomatic process as the realization of the 1974 Phased Plan, which calls for any land vacated by Israel to be used by the Palestinians to launch even more vicious and organized attacks against what is left of Israel. And of course terrorism has not ceased, it has grown worse.
It is about time for the international community to put its money where its mouth is. If the donor countries are truly interested in seeing peace settle over Israel and the Middle East, they will continue to withhold their money until three things happen. First, Yasser Arafat must arrest all Palestinians involved, or suspected of being involved, in terrorism against Israelis. Second, he must make a public speech, in Arabic, over Arabic media, unequivocally condemning all terrorism and violence against Israel, whether on Israeli territory or abroad, and publicly abrogating the Phased Plan. Finally, he must remove those 26 sections of the Covenant that call for Israel's destruction. The international community must demand these three things before any money is given to the Palestinians.
People will complain that first, without the money, Arafat will lose whatever support he still has, and the peace process will fail as a result, and second that Arafat will never accept these demands. Well, if Arafat does not accept these demands, then he is not really interested in making peace with Israel. He has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Is asking him to make a speech, or a policy decision, condemning violence so unacceptable? Other Nobel laureates do it all the time -- even Yitzchak Rabin.
Secondly, the issue of peace in Israel is not an economic one. There was no peace even when Palestinians controlled the territory they now so dearly desire. There was even less peace when Israel drastically improved their economic well-being. The problem with the Palestinians is one of visceral hatred. Unless that hatred is eliminated, peace will never result. That hatred has not been eliminated, as 108 dead Jews provide ample evidence. As long as that hatred has not been eliminated, and especially since it has only grown worse since Oslo, perhaps it is best that the "peace" process be destroyed now, before it claims any more Jewish sheep.
If withholding foreign aid from the Palestinians will have this effect, then by all means, withhold the aid. Otherwise, the international community will make the same mistake that Israel has made: showing the Palestinians that terrorism does indeed pay high dividends.
Copyright 1994. Reproduction in electronic or print format by permission only.
