Israelis, Palestinians Uneasy After Summit

Israeli government spokesmen hailed as a success the White House meeting that brought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat together for only the second time since the Israeli leader was elected in May.

Palestinian officials described the two-day summit, called by US President Bill Clinton after Israel's opening of an entrance to an archaeological tunnel in Jerusalem touched off violence that has killed 73 Arabs and Jews, as a failure.

Arafat failed to win a target date for the partial pullout from the West Bank town of Hebron agreed by the previous Labour-led government. Netanyahu also gave no commitment to close the Jerusalem tunnel which runs near Moslem holy places.

 

Their barrels pointing from hilltops, Israeli tanks remained in positions overlooking Palestinian towns ahead of US-brokered talks due to start on Sunday in Gaza on Israel's long-delayed troop redeployment from Hebron. If anyone dares (to provoke Israel) he will experience the fire power of Israel's armour, defence minister Yitzhak Mordechai said in remarks on Israeli radio.

Netanyahu accused Arafat of having incited last week's violence, the worst Israeli-Palestinian bloodshed since a 1993 peace deal.

I think the violence may resume because the summit failed to wipe out the causes of the explosion, said Ayman Hassan, a Palestinian policeman in Gaza. The general feeling after the failure of the summit is disappointment and helplessness.

Another policeman, who asked not to be identified, said he took part in gun battles against Israeli soldiers last week and feared the violence could erupt again. I'm afraid that if people want to march on Israeli positions I won't be able to bring myself to carry out the orders to stop them because I share their feelings of anger, he said.

The deep political divisions in the Jewish state were reflected in Israelis' assessments of the summit. I am very proud of our Prime Minister that he stood firm and is not rewarding the violence on the side of the Palestinians, said a Jewish settler in the West Bank.