[NY Times - 4/34/02] JERUSALEM, April 3 - A force of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles rumbled tonight into Nablus, the second largest city in the West Bank, continuing a relentless sweep even as international criticism gathered force and some Israelis themselves began questioning the operation.
The occupation of Nablus meant that six days into the operation, the Israeli Army was in control of all major Palestinian-ruled centers in the West Bank except Hebron. In each city the army was proving more intense, ruthless and thorough than in any prior incursion, including the raids last month.
But despite Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's declared determination to continue until the "infrastructure of terrorism" has been rooted out, which was taken to mean weeks, the military operation appeared today to run into greater resistance with every advance.
In Bethlehem, tanks and armored personnel carriers surrounded the Church of the Nativity, where about 200 Palestinians have taken refuge, prompting fierce demands from leaders of local churches that there be no violation of their sacred sites. An attempt by the Roman Catholic prelate, Patriarch Michel Sabbagh, to lead a delegation of church leaders into Bethlehem was turned back by armed police officers at the entrance to the town.
A new attack from across the northern border with Lebanon, the seventh since March 12, prompted Israel's defense minister, Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, to summon the security cabinet to a meeting at 11 p.m. The outcome was not immediately known, but the attacks have raised the possibility of an Israeli retaliation against Syrian targets, on the premise that Hezbollah, the militant Islamic movement in Lebanon, would not attack Israel without consent from Damascus.
According to the army, antitank missiles and mortars were fired at an Israeli base on the border, wounding one soldier and provoking retaliatory artillery and air strikes. In a letter to Secretary General Kofi Annan, the Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, warned that the attacks could have "alarming consequences on the stability of the region."
At the same time, a demonstration by several hundred Israeli Arabs and leftist peace protesters on the road to Ramallah turned nasty when Israeli security forces fired tear gas and beat the participants. Among those beaten were three members of the Israeli Parliament. Though relatively small, the demonstration marked the first protest by Israelis against the operation.
The Associated Press reported late tonight that 12 Palestinians and 1 Israeli were killed today in the fighting.
The State Department said today that it had received a report that an American woman was shot and killed Friday in Ramallah, apparently by Israeli military forces. The woman, identified as Soraida Farhan Saleh, was shot while riding in a car with her husband and 9-month old baby, according to a State Department spokeswoman, Susan Pittman. The victim's husband was injured, but the baby was unharmed, Ms. Pittman said. No further details were available.
Resistance abroad also swelled today. The European Union declared the fighting "the most dangerous conflict in the world." Pope John Paul II assailed Israel for "humiliating" the Palestinians. Egypt downgraded its relations with Israel.
There was no indication today that Israel intended to bow to the pressure. In the immediate aftermath of the suicide bombing last week at a Seder in Netanya that killed 25 people, the mood among the vast majority of Israelis was to smash the terrorists, get the Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, and never mind the consequences.
"Right now the ultimate criteria for what we're doing is military criteria, to root out the infrastructure of terror," said Dore Gold, a senior adviser to Mr. Sharon. "At this stage it's a bleeding nation that wants to live."
But even if the large majority is still in favor of the action, many Israelis are beginning to question whether terrorism really can be smashed and whether the government has an exit strategy.
However keen the satisfaction Israelis felt at sealing Mr. Arafat in his office, they are also becoming aware that this has swelled his popularity among his people. If Mr. Arafat were killed, they fear, he could become even more dangerous as a symbol of struggle and defiance.
Mr. Sharon's hope was that he would drive Mr. Arafat into exile, as he did in Lebanon in 1982, but officials have acknowledged that there is no obvious way to ensure this. There has also been speculation that the government hoped to gather enough evidence, like the bill for terror operations found in Mr. Arafat's headquarters, to bring the Palestinian leader to trial.
But any direct action against Mr. Arafat is certain to run into opposition from the Bush administration, which is coming under intense pressure from European and Arab countries to intervene.
Mr. Sharon has not set any deadline on the operation, saying only that it would be an "extended" campaign to root out the infrastructure of terrorism. That has left Israelis wondering what the government will accept as sufficient success.
Zeev Schiff, the military analyst for the newspaper Haaretz, wrote that a "sand clock" began to run from the moment the operation was launched in the form of international and, eventually, domestic resistance.
That resistance seems certain to grow with every new image of tanks, bodies, prisoners and destruction, and it was bound to be joined before long by domestic opposition.
Though Israelis had expected the outcry in Europe, their question was how long the Bush administration would be prepared to support the operation - and whether it had the clout to call it off. Most analysts agreed that Mr. Sharon would not defy a direct request from President Bush to stop the onslaught. That, however, has not come, even as signs multiply that the administration is growing more uncomfortable with what Mr. Sharon is doing.
Most military experts still expect that the operation will last at least two weeks, and perhaps six or more.
One variable is the possibility of more terror attacks. Israeli security officials have warned of continuing efforts by Palestinian bombers to infiltrate Israel proper.
Beyond that, even if the army succeeds in seriously damaging the terror infrastructure and capturing many of the organizers of suicide bombings, analysts argue that a military operation alone can never succeed in halting suicide bombings.
The bill the Israelis said they found in Mr. Arafat's office, itemizing the cost of various terror needs, was a strong indictment of the Palestinian leadership. But it was also evidence that the dollar cost of terrorism was not high - a bomb, the bill said, cost 700 shekels - $150.
"The objectives of the operation may sound clear, but the danger is that they are not attainable, and it is difficult to get out without admitting you did not attain them," said Joseph Alpher, an Israeli strategic analyst. Still, there was little doubt that a sweep of such scope, if it was allowed to continue, would reap a considerable harvest of wanted men, arms, bomb-making shops and, above all, intelligence for future measures.
The Israelis have entered Palestinian-ruled areas several times now, most recently last month in what now has the appearance of having been a dress rehearsal for the current operation.
If the raids last month focused on several specific areas, this time the army has taken each city over in its entirety, with tanks or rooftop observation posts covering all major streets and intersections. Residents are being forced off the streets under threat of being shot, and the searches are reportedly very thorough.
In the areas taken over by Israeli troops, Palestinian men between the ages of 15 and 40 have been ordered to report to a collection point for initial screening. Those selected for further investigation have been transported to a military detention center. Potential terror suspects have been handed over to the intelligence service for investigation, and possible trial or detention. Initial figures were available only for Ramallah. The army said 700 men had been sent to the detention center.
In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only.
[posted 4/5/02]
Acts of War | The New Normalcy | R&R Main
Page
Join Refuse
& Resist!
305 Madison Ave., Suite 1166, New York, NY 10165
Phone: 212-713-5657
email: info@refuseandresist.org