More and more Israeli analysts and commentators are demanding that the government end its current fence-sitting policy and make a decision one way or the other.
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Oren Shachor, formerly IDF Coordinator for Judea and Samaria and a senior member of the Israeli negotiating team with the PA under the Peres government, writes in the Jerusalem Post today, \"Israel is like a car in an intersection getting hit from all sides. The required decision is, of course, to get the car out of the intersection to one side or the other, but definitely not to leave it there...\" Noting that the recent successful operations in Balata proves that the IDF \"has the ability to capture all of [Yesha] and bring about a total collapse of the PA in a very short time and with relatively few casualties,\" Shachor lists the two choices:
\"If Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is right, there must be a reduction of military activities in the territories, and Arafat must be freed from house arrest. There may also be a need for... a renewal of political initiatives, not only for a cease-fire, but also toward the establishment of a Palestinian state of some sort. If [, however,] Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is right and Arafat is no longer relevant to the peace process, there must be a decision to capture Area A and bring about the collapse of the PA, while preparing public opinion for such action. My personal impression is we have passed the point of no return in relation to Arafat as a Palestinian leader who can get the peace process rolling again.\"
Television commentator Ron Ben-Yeshai similarly said last night that the government has to choose between the above two alternatives, and historian Dr. Meir Pa\'il, known for his left-wing positions, also made similar remarks this morning on Israel Radio today. Pa\'il said that if Israel does not opt for a diplomatic solution, the IDF should reoccupy the territories and clear out the terrorist infrastructure there in a \"few days\" of military activity.
In the event, however, the government did not quite accept this advice. The mini-security cabinet convened last night for 3.5 hours and decided not to declare war against the Palestinian Authority - but rather to intensify continuous military pressure upon it. Prime Minister Sharon said that whoever wishes to negotiate with the PA must first inflict a heavy blow upon it; Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer emphasized afterwards that the government still looks forward to being able to negotiate with the PA if it becomes possible in the future. An unnamed senior government source said that this is the last chance for the PA, and \"we are close to making a decision to capture the Palestinian Authority.\"
The idea of targeting and killing Tanzim leader Marwan Bargouti was apparently discussed and rejected; security sources say that Bargouti has become a symbol almost on the level of Arafat, rendering him \"immune to a targeted killing.\" Prime Minister Sharon was in favor of redeploying tanks around Arafat\'s office following the slaughters of Saturday night and Sunday, but Ben-Eliezer convinced him not to, saying that it would lead to more unrest.
Labor and Welfare Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) derided the Cabinet\'s decision. He said that he does not believe that Prime Minister Sharon is giving the IDF as free a hand as he claims:
\"I think he means that on a ladder of ten rungs, he gives the army a totally free hand up to the seventh rung... If the army really has no constraints and this is all it can do, then there\'s no choice other than to recite Psalms and wait for a miracle.\" Benizri said that he and others were not given an opportunity to express their opinions at last night\'s meeting.
Shas party leader Interior Minister Eli Yeshai did not agree with Benizri: \"We\'re going through a hard time, and it\'s important to be unified. There\'s no right or left, religious or secular - just a struggle for our existence. Hard decisions were made last night, and there may yet have to be more. There\'s no magic solution, and we have to act as if we are at war. There must be less talk, and more action…\" Yeshai implied, though, that there might be no choice but to intensify the warfare, even at the cost of the national unity government with Labor.
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Oren Shachor, formerly IDF Coordinator for Judea and Samaria and a senior member of the Israeli negotiating team with the PA under the Peres government, writes in the Jerusalem Post today, \"Israel is like a car in an intersection getting hit from all sides. The required decision is, of course, to get the car out of the intersection to one side or the other, but definitely not to leave it there...\" Noting that the recent successful operations in Balata proves that the IDF \"has the ability to capture all of [Yesha] and bring about a total collapse of the PA in a very short time and with relatively few casualties,\" Shachor lists the two choices:
\"If Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer is right, there must be a reduction of military activities in the territories, and Arafat must be freed from house arrest. There may also be a need for... a renewal of political initiatives, not only for a cease-fire, but also toward the establishment of a Palestinian state of some sort. If [, however,] Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is right and Arafat is no longer relevant to the peace process, there must be a decision to capture Area A and bring about the collapse of the PA, while preparing public opinion for such action. My personal impression is we have passed the point of no return in relation to Arafat as a Palestinian leader who can get the peace process rolling again.\"
Television commentator Ron Ben-Yeshai similarly said last night that the government has to choose between the above two alternatives, and historian Dr. Meir Pa\'il, known for his left-wing positions, also made similar remarks this morning on Israel Radio today. Pa\'il said that if Israel does not opt for a diplomatic solution, the IDF should reoccupy the territories and clear out the terrorist infrastructure there in a \"few days\" of military activity.
In the event, however, the government did not quite accept this advice. The mini-security cabinet convened last night for 3.5 hours and decided not to declare war against the Palestinian Authority - but rather to intensify continuous military pressure upon it. Prime Minister Sharon said that whoever wishes to negotiate with the PA must first inflict a heavy blow upon it; Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer emphasized afterwards that the government still looks forward to being able to negotiate with the PA if it becomes possible in the future. An unnamed senior government source said that this is the last chance for the PA, and \"we are close to making a decision to capture the Palestinian Authority.\"
The idea of targeting and killing Tanzim leader Marwan Bargouti was apparently discussed and rejected; security sources say that Bargouti has become a symbol almost on the level of Arafat, rendering him \"immune to a targeted killing.\" Prime Minister Sharon was in favor of redeploying tanks around Arafat\'s office following the slaughters of Saturday night and Sunday, but Ben-Eliezer convinced him not to, saying that it would lead to more unrest.
Labor and Welfare Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) derided the Cabinet\'s decision. He said that he does not believe that Prime Minister Sharon is giving the IDF as free a hand as he claims:
\"I think he means that on a ladder of ten rungs, he gives the army a totally free hand up to the seventh rung... If the army really has no constraints and this is all it can do, then there\'s no choice other than to recite Psalms and wait for a miracle.\" Benizri said that he and others were not given an opportunity to express their opinions at last night\'s meeting.
Shas party leader Interior Minister Eli Yeshai did not agree with Benizri: \"We\'re going through a hard time, and it\'s important to be unified. There\'s no right or left, religious or secular - just a struggle for our existence. Hard decisions were made last night, and there may yet have to be more. There\'s no magic solution, and we have to act as if we are at war. There must be less talk, and more action…\" Yeshai implied, though, that there might be no choice but to intensify the warfare, even at the cost of the national unity government with Labor.