Page 45 - Signs of the End

THE SIGNS OF THE END 9

respectful harmony. But there are many others who believe they
can be satisfied with nothing less than a Palestinian state that
includes not only the West Bank, but also Jerusalem and all of
what is now Israel. These fanatics regard those Arabs who
cooperate with Israel as traitors. The week after the peace
agreement w as signed, the bloody Hamas movement claimed
responsibility for killing an Arab leader in Gaza who was
perceived as cooperating with Arafat, who was now cooperating
with Israel.

Will this kind of hostility among the Arabs mushroom into
fratricidal warfare? What will the fanatical regimes of Iraq and
Iran do to fan the flames of antagonism among the Palestinians?
How would the stability of Israel be affected if the Palestinian
Arabs went after one another in a wholesale slaughter? But it
might also be possible for the Jewish people to turn upon one
another under certain circumstances. What if the Jewish
settlements in Yesha are indeed abandoned, as they fear might
happen? What if they are attacked by fanatic Arab raids, and
neither the Arab nor Israeli authorities come to their defense in
order to maintain the peace agreement? Might the Israelis who
are for the settlements rise in revolt against the government?
That could be a devastating situation.

Finally, of course, there are many who believe that this peace
is no peace at all, but just a preparation for the next Arab-Israeli
war. One suggested scenario is that the peace agreement will
break down, Israel will take action against the Palestinians, and
the Arab patron nations will come to the defense of the
Palestinians against Israel.

Arab Control of M oslem Terrorists

One of the key elements as to whether the plan is workable
is whether or not Arafat and his PLO can change their spots.
Can a terrorist organization plotting to destroy Israel turn into a
functioning authority, living in mutual harmony with Israel?
Can Jewish settlements exist adjacent to Arab settlements under
Palestinian authority?

Present plans call for Arafat to bring in 20,000 trained Arab
police, mostly from the Kingdom of Jordan. Will they be able to