Page 89 - Signs of the End

THE SIGNS OF THE END 53

out, but to many these concessions appear to be setting up Israel
for more terrorism in the future.

The peace process may yet prove to be a war process.

FAIR-WEATHER FRIENDS?

In the heady days following the Six-Day War in 1967, America
and Israel were the closest of allies, and both were looking out for
their mutual interests in the Middle East at the height of the Cold
War. Soon after the somber days of the Yom Kippur War of 1973,
however, America started on the slippery slope of gradual
estrangement from Israel. Some of the elements that contributed to
the estrangement were the devastating and embarrassing struggle
Israel had militarily with Egypt and Syria in the first couple of
weeks of the war, when it came all too close to defeat; the long
gasoline lines as the Arabs established a boycott with their
almighty resource, oil; the propaganda war in which the Arabs
began to portray themselves as oppressed Palestinians and under­
dogs; and, perhaps ironically, the cessation of the Cold War, mak­
ing Israel less critical to America as a strategic ally.

American Jews were somewhat split in their attitude about
how Israel could best survive, as were the Jews in Israel. Many
believed that the only way to win the struggle with the Arabs was
to use appropriate force against terrorism and claim all of the ter­
ritory of the Land that they could for settlement as their God-given
right. Others, though, had become weary of the long struggle, and
wanted to "give peace a chance." They were willing to give over a
considerable percentage of the West Bank (Judah, Samaria and
Gaza to the Israelites) to the Arabs, and even the Golan Heights to
Syria.

President George Bush and his Secretary of State James Baker
sided with the "peace" group, and began to put considerable pres­
sure on Israel to cease and desist the construction of settlements in
the Yesha areas. When Israel refused to cease the settlement of new
immigrants, mostly Russians by the hundreds of thousands, in the
mostly vacant land of the Yesha hills, the American administration
slapped sanctions on Israel. The Clinton Administration increased