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Palestinian police a symbol of empowerment
September 27, 1996
Web posted at: 7:30 p.m. EDT (2330 GMT)Editor's note: This analysis of the current situation in Israel comes from Jim Clancy, a CNN veteran who has reported extensively on the Middle East.
From Correspondent Jim Clancy
(CNN) -- A deeply emotional welcome greeted Palestinian police when they arrived in Gaza early one morning in May 1994. Palestinians saw their police and the arms they carried as the first real sign of empowerment under the peace process -- the indisputable evidence that something in the relationship between Israel and the Palestinians had changed.
Despite some adjustments as the police set up their operations, Israeli military commanders soon paid tribute to the discipline and professionalism of the 30,000 Palestinian police. This week, as those same police fired at Israeli troops, the spirit of cooperation seemed to collapse.
The West Bank and Gaza exploded, bringing Israel's peacemakers under fire as well. They were blamed for giving guns to the Palestinians in the first place.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who was defeated by Benjamin Netanyahu in May elections, defends the Palestinian police and peace attempts.
"The Palestinian police did show a great deal of responsibility over the last three or four years. There is no reason why they shouldn't do so in the future. And I know that even today, most of them attempt to stop the shooting," he said.
But the scenes of open gun battles with Israeli troops signified a dangerous new turn in the two peoples' relationship.
Some police who opened fire on Israeli police said they stepped in to prevent a massacre of their own people by Israeli troops. Others argued that the price of not standing up and fighting would be the permanent loss of respect and authority in the eyes of their own people.
Yet the Palestinian police are not a symbol solely for fellow Palestinians. They are important to Israelis, who must see them as a force representing discipline, authority and security -- helping to guarantee the risks that Israelis and Palestinians took when they joined the peace process.
There were heroic signs this week that some remembered the peace process. In the midst of one shootout, Palestinian police helped a wounded Israeli soldier to safety.
Overall, however, there is a desperate need for a cease-fire. The lightly armed Palestinian police are no match for Israel's military, and Palestinians have no illusions about that. In the end, their power and authority comes from the peace process, and will exist only as long as they defend it.
Both Israel and the Palestinians must uphold the lofty goal of seeking peace. If there is no real peace process under Israel's new government, there is nothing left to defend.
Related stories:
- 7 dead in new Israeli-Palestinian fighting - September 27, 1996
- 3 reported dead in new Israeli-Palestinian violence - September 27, 1996
- Syrian leader claims accord reached on Golan Heights - September 26, 1996
- Israeli prime minister returns home for emergency meeting - September 26, 1996
- Peres: Netanyahu wants 'peace for nothing' September 26, 1996
- Flurry of meetings seek to end Israeli-Palestinian fighting - September 26, 1996
- Seven Palestinians die in clashes in West Bank - September 25, 1996
- Israeli archaeological digs threaten Islamic mosque - September 24, 1996
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