(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
GAZA: It was the terrorist attacks that shook the US 11. September that triggered both the Israeli offensive and Yasser Arafat's eagerness to get a truce.
While the New York exploration team was still searching for survivors in the ruins of the World Trade Center, Israeli and Palestinian leaders positioned themselves in relation to the international anti-terror alliance that was taking shape.
Israel's biggest offensive
The day after the WTC tragedy, the Israeli army launched its largest military offensive since the intifada began. In four days, 20 Palestinians were killed as Israeli tanks rolled into several Palestinian West Bank cities and helicopters bombed Gaza City.
Israeli advocates declared that they expected free hands to crack down on Palestinian "terrorism" following the events in the United States.
However, the Americans were quick to curb the zeal for the hawks in Jerusalem. The United States wants as broad an Arab participation as possible in its anti-terror alliance. Following the Gulf War model, Arab leaders are to be persuaded to endorse an American-led war. This time against a more diffuse enemy – international terrorism. @m: The Arabs are asking for restraint
The most important Arab countries have asked the United States to reflect. Egyptian President Husni Mubarak stated that one must take good time and be sure who is behind before the guilty ones are appointed.
Jordan's King Abdullah allowed himself to claim that if the United States had pursued another policy in the Middle East, the terrorist attack in the United States would hardly have happened. President Bush has realized that further Israeli conquests will scare the Arab countries away from joining the alliance. That is why the president called Sharon and asked him to join a long-planned meeting between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and President Yasser Arafat last weekend. However, Sharon chose to cancel the meeting. But he agreed to allow such a meeting after two days without episodes of violence. @m: Arafat will join
To many people's surprise, Yasser Arafat took Sharon to the floor and declared full ceasefire on Tuesday.
Arafat has realized that the Palestinians do not need to be pushed into the cold because of the terror in the United States, but that they can actually play an important role in US alliance building. First, Palestinian participation will make it easier for other Arab countries to join. Second, Palestinian intelligence should not be ruled out on information on Arab terrorist networks that the United States may benefit from. In addition, a Palestinian participation will make it necessary for the United States to exert moderate pressure on Israel.
Compared to the ceasefire previously announced, Arafat was unusually clear this time: He ordered his forces not to shoot at Israeli targets, "not even when they themselves are shot by Israeli forces." It is the first time he has asked his soldiers to refrain from shooting in self-defense. The Israeli Defense Ministry then declared that all "offensive operations" would cease from the Israeli side. The ceasefire came after active American pressure on both parties. The active American role may mean a break with George W. Bush's "backward line in the Middle East." That in itself is an important victory for Arafat, who has constantly sought to maintain the deep American commitment of Bill Clinton's time.
Test for both parties
The ceasefire is an important test for both parties. Finally, Arafat will have to reveal if he actually has control over his crews.
The issue of Arafat's authority has been subjected to continuous scrutiny by analysts throughout the intifada. For Israel, the test consists in how much it takes before the army can be teased by Palestinian provocations. The Palestinian guerrilla cells operate in a loosely organized network. The Islamist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have condemned the ceasefire, join forces with Arafat faith Fatah activists. Therefore, one must expect that there will still be some actions from the Palestinian side. In other words, if Sharon is serious about the ceasefire, he must refrain from "retaliating" every little provocation.
The number of hits dropped dramatically once the ceasefire was declared on Tuesday. But on Thursday night, it was still not good enough for the Israelis to start counting the 48 hours of "complete calm" that Sharon puts as a condition for Peres to be allowed to speak to Arafat.
