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Prepared for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in association with the Fairness Project by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
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To contact the Presidents Conference: [email protected]
In-Depth Issue:
Private Enterprise in the Palestinian Authority
Jibril Rajoub, the chief of preventive security in the West Bank, and Muhammad Dahlan, who resigned recently as Rajoub's counterpart in Gaza, both have independent sources of revenue.
Useful Reference:
527 people have been murdered by Palestinian terrorists since September 2000
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News Resources - USA and Europe:
In spite of the exhortations of Arab nations, the forthcoming U.S. statement on its vision of peace is expected to deal only with generalities. "It's not even going to be a U.S. plan or proposal for what we think the outcome should be. We are not prepared to go that far," said one official. Instead the White House will concentrate on maintaining the involvement of Israel's Arab neighbors, rebuilding the Palestinian Authority to focus on effective security, and staging an international conference. (Financial Times) The White House says it is developing a new strategic security policy that allows for pre-emptive attacks against terrorists and hostile states with chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. A first-strike military policy is needed because past approaches to world security will not work against terrorists, Vice-President Dick Cheney said Monday. (VOA News) According to a Palestinian-conducted poll, a majority (51%) of Palestinians believe the aim of their current uprising should be to eliminate Israel and not just end Israeli control of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 68% said they approved of suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. (Reuters) If the plan includes relinquishing the territories, only 22% of Israelis were in favor. If the right of return for Palestinians is added, only 9% approved. Some 62% of Palestinians opposed the Saudi plan. (Guardian-UK) 17% of respondents were "strongly" anti-Semitic, a 5% increase from 1998. 51% believed the Bush administration had tilted too far in favor of Israel. In May 2002, 626 anti-Semitic incidents were reported to the ADL, an 11% increase from the previous year. (Anti-Defamation League) A Palestinian bomber blew himself up at the entrance to a restaurant in the heart of Herzliya Tuesday night, killing a 15-year-old girl and wounding 15 others. It was the 19th attack in the Tel Aviv area since the beginning of the Palestinian violence. Earlier, a border policeman was stabbed in the neck and seriously wounded in Jerusalem's Old City. (Jerusalem Post) The mutilated bodies of two Palestinian Arabs were found in Hebron. According to Palestinian sources, they were murdered on suspicion of "cooperation with Israel." It appeared that the two had been tortured during the two weeks they had been missing from their homes. (Media Line)
Global Commentary and Think-Tank Analysis
(Best of U.S., UK, and Israel):
The Israeli prime minister is adamant that no peace negotiations can take place while the killings of Israeli civilians continue, and he found solid support for that position in Washington this week. (Washington Times) None of the 56 suicide bombings of the past 20 months were solo operations. All were the products of a well-oiled Palestinian killing machine. Omar Ayam, the father of a suicide bomber from Tulkarem, adds: "To put it simply, we love martyrdom, they love life." (Guardian-UK) Analysts warn that Sharon's success in convincing the White House to finally dismiss Arafat as politically irrelevant may actually open the door for increased Arab extremism in the future. Ted Carpenter, an analyst at Washington's Cato Institute, says that while Arafat is quickly becoming less and less relevant, a more radical Palestinian movement could fill the power vacuum he leaves behind. (Radio Free Europe) Palestinian propaganda has infiltrated deep into intellectual circles and far left parties, exploiting their supposed sensitivity to human rights. These circles are directly responsible for the anti-Israeli decisions in European and international forums including the European parliament. (The author is a former Israeli ambassador to France.) (Jerusalem Post) Since 2000, there has been only a modest rise in the proportion of Americans who follow international news very closely - from 14% to 21%. Some 61% follow international news only when something important happens. (Pew Research Center) Igniting another intifada enabled Arafat to redefine the economic decline in the territories as "sacrifices" necessary in mobilizing against the "Zionist enemy." Arafat's so-called "reforms" are aimed at rebuilding the PLO/PA's terror apparatus. (National Review) At a demonstration I went to in Tripoli last year, the authorities bused in thousands of young Libyans to the center of town and handed out anti-Western placards. "Down with America," "Down with Imperialism" read the banners. As the procession went past, two Libyan demonstrators explained to me that it was their dream to go and study in America. (BBC) The Other Side Is Not Ready for Peace Gen. Shlomo Yanai, Chief of the IDF Planning Branch, participated in the security talks with the Palestinians and Syrians at Wye, Shepardstown, and Camp David. In a recent interview in the Israeli daily Maariv, he noted:
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