In Ramallah, Full Support for Attacks, Not a Truce
The New York Times
March 18, 2002
THE MOOD
By JOEL BRINKLEY
RAMALLAH, West Bank,
March 17 - It is hard to find
anyone here in this Palestinian
center who does not believe that
attacks should continue full force
against Israel, even as the United
States' special envoy pursues his
increasingly difficult task of
trying to achieve a cease-fire
between the two sides.
In fact, Palestinians say that Yasir
Arafat, their leader, has issued no
order in recent days to stop the
terror attacks and probably could
not enforce one in any case.
Numerous Palestinians, in
interviews today, showed no
remorse for the Israelis injured
and killed in today's attacks. The
opposite, in fact.
This suggests that even if General
Anthony C. Zinni succeeds in
bringing about a cease-fire
among the Israeli and Palestinian
leaders, Mr. Arafat would have a
difficult time bringing along the
rank and file even among his own
supporters. Numerous other
Palestinians, in Islamic Jihad,
Hamas and other militant
movements, hold no allegiance to
Mr. Arafat and his agreements.
Today's attack "boosted the
morale of our people," said Iyhab,
a Palestinian fighter who would
not give his full name, echoing
the sentiments of numerous
people interviewed here this
afternoon. He was referring to the
gunman who opened fire in the
central Israeli town of Kfar Saba
this afternoon, killing a high
school student and injuring
about a dozen other people.
Iyhab, a grim-faced 22-year-old, said he was an Arafat
loyalist; he was walking with the aid of a metal crutch
because of a gunshot wound to the leg he suffered in
fighting with Israeli troops here on Tuesday. He insisted
that he would not accept a cease-fire now, saying, "This is
the position of all the factions."
Abu Iyad, the chief of an intelligence unit in the
Palestinian security force, said today's attacks were "a
natural reaction to Israel's action - for every action there
is a reaction."
As he strode down a street in Ramallah, 20 armed men,
some in uniform, walked just behind him. "Arafat is not in
a position now to go to the people and ask for a cease-fire
until the Israelis end their incursion," he said.
Over the past week, Israeli troops have entered
Bethlehem, Ramallah and several Palestinian refugee
camps in areas that are supposed to be under Palestinian
control. Most of the soldiers have been pulled back, but
some still occupy parts of Bethlehem, where they
exchanged fire with Palestinians today, the outskirts of
Ramallah and some other areas. Dozens of Palestinians
have been shot and killed by Israeli troops in the past
week.
"Until this moment there has been no order for a
cease-fire," Mr. Iyad said. "It would be a difficult thing to
convince our people to stop our attacks until the other
side shows us something first." By that he apparently
meant complete withdrawal from Palestinian controlled
areas.
This afternoon, Yasir Abed Rabbo, the Palestinian
information minister, told Israel radio: "Why should we
give anything in return for an invasion? An invasion
should be stopped, and then we sit and talk about a
cease-fire."
The Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, in a news
conference Saturday night, placed a similar demand upon
the Palestinians that he said would have to be met before
the rest of the troops would withdraw from Palestinian
controlled areas.
"We took a unilateral action to pull our troops back," he
said. Before the rest are pulled back, "we would like to see
some response from the Palestinians, an engagement to
prevent terror."
There was no such engagement today. In addition to the
Kfar Saba attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up in
Jerusalem, killing himself and injuring a bus driver.
All of that pleased people in Ramallah.
"If someone attacks your house, you defend yourself," said
Hamad Sulliman, who said he was a member of Tanzim,
the militant wing of Mr. Arafat's Fatah movement. "I am
telling you, I will not listen to any instructions from the
Palestinian Authority as long as Israel continues its
aggression. Only then will we talk about a cease-fire."
Others said they would not accept a cease-fire under any
circumstances.
"Internally, we are against any kind of cease-fire," said a
fighter named Tasir, who would not give his last name but
said he was a security officer for the Palestinian Authority.
Several of his armed colleagues stood by nodding as he
spoke.
"We are security people, and it is our responsibility to
implement orders," he said. "But we are not in a position
to implement any kind of cease-fire agreement. It is in our
blood, every one of us. We will continue fighting."
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