ftn.q, 1,7. Newsletter of the Israeli Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace June-July 1989 No 37 Editor: Adam Keller P.O.B.956 Tel-Aviv, Israel 61008 Editorial Board: Uri Avnery, Matti Peied, Yaakov Phone: (03) 5565804 Arnon, Haim Bar’am, Yael Lotan, Yossi Amitay ELECTIONS ROULETTE On May 14, the Israeli cabinet many leading members of all the Likud party; the extreme right Te- approved the ‘Peace Plan’ presented Palestinian political factions. Nor is hiya party stated: ‘Yitzchak Shamir to it by Prime Minister Shamir and there anything in the plan to prevent has laid the cornerstone of the Defence Minister Rabin, whose core the Israeli authorities from arresting Palestinian state, with East Jeru­ is the holding of elections in the candidates for election or the elec­ salem for its capital.’ (Hadashot, West Bank and Gaza Strip. Shamir is ted representaives themselves - as 15.5.89). officially committed to this plan, already happened to the Palestinian Clearly, these opponents are not which bears his name; yet he would mayors who were democratically reacting to the Shamir Plan as it now shed few tears should the envisaged elected in 1976. Indeed, Shamir ex­ stands, but rather to the potential elections never take place. Shanur’s plicitly stated that ‘if it turns out that shape into which it might be trans­ hope is that the plan will be rejected the elected Palestinian leaders are formed at the end of a long negotia­ by the Palestinians, such a rejection accepting instructions from the ting process - especially since these would put the Israeli government in PLO, we will stop the negotiations negotiations would take place under a strong diplomatic position, and and put the leaders in prison’. conditions of ongoing Intifada. secure the support of wavering allies After the election , the plan envis­ in Washington and in the Diaspora ages a five-year u-terim period in Jewish communities. It would also which the Palestinians will exercise free the government’s hands to ‘self-administration’ of ‘their inter­ On the other side of the political implement brutal measures of op­ nal affairs’ - with the Israeli govern­ sprectrum, the moderate peace pression in the Occupied Territories. ment maintaining its monopoly over camp - Mapam, Ratz, Shinuy and No effort was spared in order to ‘defence and security’. It could thus Peace Now - decided to give the make the proposed plan unaccep­ continue to employ its full panoply plan the benefit of the doubt, hoping table to the Palestinians. It regards of repression. (Even the Camp that it would eventually develop in the elected Palestinian leaders as a David agreements provided for the the very direction that the extreme substitute negotiating partner, and ‘redeployment of Israeli forces out­ right is afraid of. explicitly excludes the possibility of side the population centres’ and the Similar considerations also prevail negotiations witli the PLO. Also creation of ‘a strong Palestinian in extensive parts of the interna­ excluded is the creation of an inde­ police force’. Nothing of the kind tional arena. In London, Madrid pendent Palestinian state. On many could be found in the Shamir Plan.) and Brussels, the Israeli govern­ other vital points the plan is totally After the interim period, the plan ment’s proposals were not rejected silent. No provision is made for the envisions the opening of peace out of hand; the U.S. administration Palestinians living outside the Occu­ negotiations between Israel and Jor­ welcomed the Shamir Plan, while pied Territories - who constitute dan; Palestinian representatives are asking for ‘explanations’ and ‘clarifi­ half of the Palestinian people, and invited to join in - provided they cations’ - in order to present these who are, in effect, doomed to eternal accept the agenda of negotiations, in clarifications in Tunis. For its part, homelessness. Nor is there any men­ which the creation of a Palestinian the PLO leadership - though em­ tion of the Palestinian residents of state will, of course, not be included. phatically rejecting Shamir’s terms East Jerusalem (which was annexed for elections - has shown itself to Israel) and of their right to partici­ willing to continue negotiations, in pate in the elections. order to achieve more acceptable The holding of ‘free and secret In spite of all the anti-Palestinian terms. democratic elections’ is promised - stipulations in Shamir’s plan, Israel’s In dealing with the Americans, but the plan does not mention any rightist hardliners became quite Shamir so far demurs, pointing to kind of international monitoring, alarmed when it was adopted by the the difficulties he faces in his own nor does it guarantee the freedom of cabinet. The settlers in the Occupied party due to Sharon’s determined expression or association, during or Territories expressed their opposi­ campaign of opposition. The 3000- after the election campaign. No tion through violent anti-Arab pro­ member Central Council of the promise is made to release the thou­ vocations; Ariel Sharon has started Likud is due to meet on July 4 to vote sands of Palestinians incarcerated in to mobilise a considerable internal on the Shamir Plan. A Sharon vic- Israeli detention camps, who include opposition to Shamir inside the torv would smash the ‘National Unity Government’ and the Shamir- support for the East Jerusalemites' significantly towards the positions of Rabin alliance which is at its core; participation in the Palestinian elec­ the peace movement. Many people Israeli politics might be plunged into tions, as have Labor Party leaders are becoming resigned to Israeli a savage power struggle. The more Shimon Peres and Yitzchak Rabin - withdrawal from the Occupied Ter­ likely possibility, however, is a vic­ the latter being Shamir’s co-author of ritories. Thus, Likud columnist tory for the Prime Minister over the 'peace-plan’. Nathan Bron wrote: ‘Yasser Arafat Sharon and his allies. On June 14, Yediot Aharonot and his advisers are more and more Once having won this struggle, quoted Rabin’s answer to a question confident that they will get their Shamir would not be able to delay about partial Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian state (...) When I look much longer his Moment of Truth; the Palestinian population centres: around me and see what is hap­ he would have to choose. He could 'When elections take place, the Ter­ pening in Israeli politics and in world move forward, even if slowly, on the ritories will remain under Israeli diplomacy, and what is taking place elections - which would, in the end, control, but the deployment o f Israeli on the ground in Judea and Samaria, mean making substantial conces­ forces in them is a technical question I begin to fear that they have good sions. He would have to accept that open to negotiations' reason to be confident’ (Yediot indirect negotiations with the PLO Aharonot, 5.5.89). have already begun and that - ** At the beginning of June 1989, To stem the tide, some factions on sooner or later - they will become Yossi Amitai and Canon Riah Abu- the right decided to launch a coun­ direct ones. El-Asal, co-chairpersons o f the Pro­ ter-offensive. A series of incidents in As a matter of fact, Shamir’s only gressive List for Peace Executive met May 1989 played into their hands.In other option would be digging in his with Mr. Fowler o f the British Em­ the main street of West Jerusalem, a heels and refusing to budge on any of bassy in Tel-Aviv, in the context o f a Palestinian from A1 Bireh stabbed the essential issues. Such intransi­ series o f meetings with Israel-based and killed two old Israelis waiting gence might encounter opposition diplomats in which the PLP eluci­ for a bus, and wounded three others. from Shamir’s Labor coalition part­ dated its positions. According to Defence Minister Ra­ ners, who are more positively dis­ Fowler, whose government was one bin, the Arab was motivated by posed towards the East Jerusalem of EEC members most enthusiastic Muslim religious fanaticism and by a franchise, international monitoring, about the Shamir Plan, reiterated that desire to revenge his brother who ‘redeployment’ of Israeli forces, the Thatcher government remains was beaten by Israeli soldiers. etc.* Should the ‘National Unity committed to the idea o f holding, Within an hour Rabbi Meir Ka- Government’ survive a stalemate on sooner or later, an International hane and dozens of his rabid fol­ these issues, it would face a growing Conference on Peace in the Middle lowers arrived on the scene and isolation on the international arena, East. attempted to lynch two Arab by­ and an escalation of violent clashes passers. They were dispersed by the and bloodshed. It may be assumed • • • police and Kahane spent the next that, in these circumstances, the two nights in jail. On television ‘Shamir Plan’ would be swept off the Pendulum of Prime Minister Shamir practically board, and that international diplo­ endorsed the lynch call, stating; matic efforts would, once again, violence ‘Murderers, such as this one in concentrate on attempts to convene Jerusalem, should not remain whole some sort of a Middle East Peace Since the beginning of the Intifada after our citizens lay hands on them.’ Conference - an idea only momen­ the political right has been increas­ A few days later, police discovered tarily eclipsed by the elections pro­ ingly on the defensive. Even before the sexually-mutilated corpse of a posal.** U.S. Secretary of State delivered his 13-year old boy from Bat-Yam (a One thing should be clear, even to now famous speech, the dream of Tel-Aviv suburb) and two Pales­ the more optimistic supporters of ‘Greater Israel’ had become under­ tinians were detained and inter­ Israeli-Palestinian peace: whichever mined.