(U.S. News) Mortimer B. Zuckerman - Israel has finally concluded that it cannot expect to live in peace with a Palestinian state led by Yasser Arafat. A protective wall, virtually everyone in Israel believes, is the only way left to protect innocents from anarchic terrorism. Every day, 40 to 50 murderous assaults are threatened against Israeli citizens and foiled only by the vigilance of Israeli security forces, with no help from the Palestinians, whose leaders have betrayed every promise on security. The security barrier doesn't prejudice any final-status issues, including borders. It will encompass less than 10% of the West Bank and leaves 99.4% of the Palestinian population on the east side. If it is to jump-start the peace process, Washington will have to make sure the Palestinians get the message - that here is another test of their capacity to behave like a respectable government and halt the corruption and the terror that have so tainted the Arafat regime.
2004-04-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive