The meetings in Cairo between Yasser Arafat's Fatah and the
outlawed Hamas ended with an agreement to cooperate in terror
against Israel. According to early reports, the meetings were
mediated by Egypt in an attempt to reach some sort of cease
fire. Fatah planned to press Hamas in Cairo to stop carrying
out terrorist attacks. Later reports said the talks were
aimed at limiting attacks to just Judea, Samaria and the Gaza
Strip, not inside Israel proper.
Then it was reported that any cease-fire would last only for
three months, to avoid helping right-wing politicians before
Israel's Jan. 28 elections.
Finally, the talks ended with a pledge that Fatah and Hamas
would cooperate in the fight against Israel and work to
preserve Palestinian unity.
The idea that a truce was even on the agenda seems
questionable. Arafat did not send his top aides. Arafat has
committed himself in various peace agreements signed with
Israel to disarm Hamas. Certainly Hamas did not go to Cairo
to lay down its arms.
"The dialogue is not based on the cessation of resistance but
rather on the unity of the Palestinian ranks," said Osama
Hamdan, a Hamas representative in Lebanon.
The talks have produced the type of results Arafat
specializes in: favorable media reports and statements of
intent, but no real decisions.
In fact, it was a terrorist from Fatah's own Al-Aksa Brigade
who crossed into Israel proper and killed five civilians,
including two young children in Kibbutz Metzer on Nov. 10,
while the Cairo talks were still under way.
On Nov. 15, days after the Cairo talks ended, Islamic Jihad
terrorists attacked a group returning from Sabbath prayers in
Hebron. When Israeli troops and other security personnel
responded to the gunfire, the Palestinians ambushed them,
killing 12. Another 14 Israelis were wounded.
That brought the tally of Israeli casualties from the
Palestinian intifadah to 668 dead and 4,755 wounded.
The Hebron ambush highlights the near-anarchy in the
Palestinian territories. The Israel Defense Force maintains a
strong military presence, but does not have direct control
over the Palestinian population.
Many believe that the Palestinian Authority exerts no control
over the territories. Some say that it's unable to master the
situation while others say that the chaos that allows
terrorism to flourish suits it while giving the Palestinian
government the ability to deny responsibility.
Israeli officials believe that if the Palestinians were to
decide on a cease-fire, the problematic forces would be those
of Fatah. While Hamas and Islamic Jihad maintain tight
control over their military cadres, Fatah, P.A. chairman
Yasser Arafat's mainstream movement, has become a collection
of small gangs that often do not respect any central
authority.
The Hebron attack also illustrates the difficulty facing
Israeli decision-makers. Israel is pressed to ease up on the
Palestinians, yet the terror groups invariably take advantage
of any easing of restrictions to launch new attacks.
Nonetheless, the general Palestinian population supports the
attacks.
The IDF stopped patrolling most Palestinian areas of Hebron
on Oct. 25 as part of a plan by then-Defense Minister
Benjamin Ben-Eliezer. Under the plan, Israeli troops would
pull out of Judea and Samaria areas where relative quiet
prevailed, giving the Palestinian Authority a chance to prove
that it could maintain order.
The Islamic Jihad cell that carried out the attack returned
to Hebron soon after Israeli troops departed.
Islamic Jihad is a much smaller organization than Hamas in
terms of membership, military potential and popular backing.
Its headquarters are in Damascus and it operates with Syrian
backing and Iranian military and financial support. It is
poorly financed and trained, and its members do not have the
skills and equipment of Hamas or Fatah. Military experts
believe that the operation in Hebron was an improvisation
that was not planned to work out the way it did.
The Damascus operation is run by Ramadan Shalah. Locally, the
group's power base is in Gaza. The group's terrorist network
is highly clandestine and smaller than those of Hamas and
Fatah.
This week, Syria reportedly rejected a call from the United
States to close the Damascus offices of Islamic Jihad. Ittim
reported that the message was delivered Monday by the U.S.
ambassador in Damascus following a directive from the White
House. The United States issued the call after the Hebron
attack.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a statement on
Saturday: "I note that the Damascus-based Palestinian Islamic
Jihad has taken credit for the attack. It is impossible to
understand how any country that claims a genuine commitment
to peace can harbor such groups."
With the outbreak of the intifadah more than two years ago,
Fatah has cooperated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in a number
of terrorist attacks.
The latest poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion
shows why cheering crowds in Gaza celebrated the Hebron
attack. According to the poll, some 45 percent of
Palestinians support the continuation of suicide attacks, and
50 percent support the continuation of the armed intifadah.
Other recent Palestinian polls have shown higher support for
attacks.
It is not known if the polls are accurate or professionally
conducted.
