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Netanyahu asks Palestinians not to lose hope
Peace is up to Israel, Arafat says
October 3, 1996
Web posted at: 9:00 p.m. EDT (0100 GMT)JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Easing his hard-line stance against the Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began pulling back some tanks and armored vehicles in the West Bank and Gaza Strip Thursday as he appealed to Palestinians for a "fresh start" on peace.
Israeli troops relaxed their presence around Bethlehem, and Palestinians nearby were permitted to leave their communities for the first time in a week.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat responded by issuing new orders to his security forces to put a lid on riots, even though the Palestinians were disappointed by this week's two-day Washington summit prompted by last week's fighting.
However, elsewhere, Israeli sharpshooters remained in position hovering over Palestinian towns, the alert eased only slightly since the meeting.
Palestinian and Israeli troops who a little more than a week ago jointly patrolled Ramallah's outskirts now stare at one another across barricades. Ramallah was surrounded by Israeli troops supported by tanks, a Palestinian officer said.
Netanyahu was cheered Thursday by right-wing activists after his return from Washington. They were pleased with his refusal to concede to the Palestinians. But later in the day, Netanyahu appealed to Palestinians for peace.
"I ask you, don't go into mourning. Don't lose hope," Netanyahu told Palestinians on Israel's Arabic-language television channel. "This is an opportunity for a fresh start for the peace process."
Arafat returns empty-handed
After Arafat ordered his troops to stifle unrest, there were few disturbances and no casualties in Israeli-occupied Hebron and other cities.
Breaking his silence Thursday on the outcome of the summit, he said the future of the Middle East peace process was now up to the Israelis.
"It depends how the Israelis will deal. Especially we are insisting they implement accurately and honestly what has been agreed upon and what was signed," Arafat said before leaving for Tunis after talks with Moroccan King Hassan.
Most Palestinians were bitterly disappointed by the summit, noting that Israel made few concessions during the talks. The two sides are to resume meetings on Sunday.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Jordan's King Hussein said he didn't think the "Israelis were flexible enough" at the Washington summit. "They had a position they adopted before they came here," he said of the Israelis. "But it provided the opportunity for them and for the Palestinians to sit together and discuss things, something that hadn't happened before to that extent."
The Jordanian monarch described the summit as "neither a complete failure or a complete success," adding: "There are certainly some very serious problems that need to be addressed." (12 sec. /160K AIFF or WAV sound)
Bibi's change of heart
Netanyahu said his opinion of Arafat changed during the summit: "As you get to know somebody better, you can have different appreciations of their character, and I think that happened."
Netanyahu described Arafat as a partner with whom he could "sit together to resolve problems."
Netanyahu had long considered Arafat a terrorist and kept the Palestinian lead waiting for three months after Israel's May elections before begrudgingly agreeing to a quick meeting. Only last week, Netanyahu blamed Arafat for inciting last week's clashes.
Israeli media made a big show of the lingering, two-handed squeeze Netanyahu gave Arafat as part of a handshake. One newspaper proclaimed in a headline, "Bibi's in love." Bibi is Netanyahu's nickname.
There are those who argue that Netanyahu's change of heart may be a public relations effort to mask the absence of substantive agreements.
Israel has so far refused to close the archeological tunnel near Islamic holy sites that sparked last week's violence, and Netanyahu hasn't set a date for withdrawal of Israeli troops from the disputed West Bank town of Hebron.
CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Summit draws mixed reactions in Mideast -October 3, 1996
- Arafat, Netanyahu agree to continuous talks - October 2, 1996
- Arafat, Netanyahu meet again - October 2, 1996
- Netanyahu, Arafat get down to talks in private - October 1, 1996
- Israelis, Palestinians skeptical about summit prospects - October 1, 1996
Related sites:
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- Special Section - Struggle for Peace
- Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- Arab.net
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