One Tunnel Opens, While Others Close
Israel’s opening of the second door to the archaeological tunnel alongside the Western Wall was used by Yasser Arafat as a pretext for orchestrated Palestinian violence against Israel. But Arafat’s cynical manipulation of Palestinian fears and frustrations is only part of the picture. Egypt and other Arab countries have been poisoning the atmosphere between Israel and Arab countries that had been moving toward reconciliation well before the “tunnel incident.” A few examples are in order:
Israel’s opening of the second door to the archaeological tunnel alongside the Western Wall was used by Yasser Arafat as a pretext for orchestrated Palestinian violence against Israel. But Arafat’s cynical manipulation of Palestinian fears and frustrations is only part of the picture. Egypt and other Arab countries have been poisoning the atmosphere between Israel and Arab countries that had been moving toward reconciliation well before the “tunnel incident.” A few examples are in order:
1) According to U.S. intelligence sources and reported in The Washington Times, Arab League Ministers last month privately discussed ways of bringing down the Netanyahu government. Several sources have confirmed that Qatar was dissuaded from opening a diplomatic mission in Israel, and Oman has bee pressured to cancel bilateral economic projects. Syria, Lebanon and Tunisia are reported to be in the forefront of this activity.
2) President Mubarak has been personally vitriolic toward PM Netanyahu, reportedly saying in a private meeting that Netanyahu should “have his ears, nose and tongue cut off.” Mubarak not only declined to come to Washington at President Clinton’s request, he called on Arafat to renege on his acceptance of the President’s invitation. In an interview published in Der Speigel only days before the riots, Mubarak was quoted as saying that Netanyahu’s policies were a “time bomb” and he predicted more violence. “This time it will not be limited to just throwing stones.” (Prescience, or knowledge before the fact?)
3) The Egyptian military has been conducting large-scale military exercises designed to cross the Suez Canal. This is a violation of the Camp David Accords, aside from being provocative. Asked why, Egyptian Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi said, “We are concerned about an enemy that has chemical weapons.” He didn’t mean Libya. Egypt’s Foreign Minister called Israel’s expectations from the peace process “nonsense.”
4) The Egyptian press, which strictly follows the government line, has maligned PM Netanyahu constantly. Al Ahram wrote that Netanyahu needed psychiatric treatment because his obsession with security is beyond the realm of normal. Al Ahbar wrote that, if asked, most Egyptians would support breaking relations with Israel, and even going to war.
5) Syria has engaged in provocative troop movements, including redeployment of crack commandos on Mt. Hermon. This follows two meetings in the past year between Mubarak and Assad after years of hostility from Syria over the Camp David Accords.
The fact that countries which are nominal participants are actively subverting the peace process is alarming. The potential for violence and danger to Israel makes it increasingly important that Israel be supported in efforts to defend itself and ensure its own security. In this regard, we note with regret statements from some American Jewish organizations critical of the Government of Israel during this difficult and dangerous time.