THE PRESS TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1978. Terrorism in Israel

Press, 14 March 1978, Page 18

THE PRESS TUESDAY, MARCH 14, 1978. Terrorism in Israel

Most who retain some feeling for their fellow humans will find the Fatah attack on Israel horrifying. Yet few expect such an act of terrorism to be the last. That is one of the dangers of what is happening in the Middle East, where mass murder becomes an accepted way of life: where senses become blunted as one act of carnage follows another: where what is horrifying today can be swallowed up in the even more horrifying acts tomorrow These are some of the effects of the return to terrorism which occurred at the week-end The attack will have other effects inside Israel, in the whole of the Middle East, and in the world at large. Within Israel, the strength of the “haw ks” will be increased at the expense of the “doves.” The demands for reprisals will become loud and common humanity will be forgotten in a return to a struggle between Jew and Arab. Outside Israel, too. some opinion will shift towards a harder line towards Arabs. When the Israeli leaders make their postponed trip to the United States, the effect on American public opinion may be seen.

The raid marked the end of what might be called the respectable phase of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, whose main guerrilla group was responsible. The raid will make it even more difficult for the P LO to be accepted as a partv to any peace negotiations. Yet the raid was partly to demonstrate that the P.L.O. should not be ignored in a

Middle East settlement. Once again the Middle East appears to be in a deadlock. The impetus towards peace brought about by the visit of President Sadat of Egypt to Israel has been arrested and if there are to be peace moves they have to come from elsewhere. Within the Arab world. Egypt might become isolated. the pan-Arab feelings of the past may be lost

One of the assumptions that has been made about the Middle East in the past is that the problem will be settled one day Few will doubt that the problem should be settled: but will it? The alternative for many years might be the present stalemate — a stalemate which Israel did too little to end after the Sadat visit. A more generous response from Israel then rhight have brought Arab Government around to an acceptance of Israel and the P.L.O. would have been condemned for the raid.

Endless antagonism must be resisted. For one thing. super-Power rivalry could make a conflict in the Middle East spread throughout the world in a matter of hours. For another, terrorism is a contagious disease and the international community can condone it nowhere. The search for peace has to go on. Both Israel and Arab countries err in believing that time is on their side in the struggle. The lesson of the raid on Israel is that, for many more people besides those on the bus. time could run out.