Word: arabism
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...first phase was remarkable: using stones and strikes, Arab youths managed to befuddle the Israeli army and gain some national pride. But after 20 months of rebellion and bloodshed, Palestinians in the occupied territories are growing tired as they grimly realize that their heady sacrifices have yet to budge the Israelis. Although the intifadeh promises to smolder indefinitely, fewer and fewer Arabs are actively taking part in the violence. The worst outbursts of rage are now directed at other Palestinians, while weary residents are increasingly willing to defy the frequent strike orders that once commanded near total obedience...
Only France made some serious attempts to build pressure. In addition to deploying two warships to the region, President Francois Mitterrand dispatched a flood of envoys to Moscow and key Arab League capitals, which command some leverage over Syria. But Mitterrand's diplomacy cut little ice in Lebanon, where France is regarded as an ally of the Maronites, or in Damascus, where France is suspect for its support of Iraq in the gulf...
Aoun gets help from Iraq, eager to exact revenge for Syria's support of Iran in the gulf war. Baghdad has been shipping weapons to the Christians mainly to gall Syria. Long rivals for hegemony in the region, the two Arab giants seem to be fighting a proxy war on Lebanese soil. The struggle for control of Lebanon is further confused by the power contest in Tehran and the fate of the 15 foreign hostages...
...military strike against Iran would probably doom U.S. hopes to build bridges to Tehran. Any American military action could isolate Washington from Arab countries just as the U.S. is engaged in the delicate process of urging Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a peaceful settlement concerning the occupation of the West Bank. Such action would also play directly into the hands of Israeli hard-liners. On Friday P.L.O. leader Yasser Arafat opened a congress in Tunis of Al Fatah, the P.L.O.'s chief guerrilla group, the first such meeting since 1980. The discussions may prove critical because Arafat's public...
...their task is difficult and must be done with precision. For example, one of the caves contained 15,000 fragments that had to be pieced together like jigsaw puzzles into 516 scrolls. Harvard University's John Strugnell, head of the group since 1987, says fund-raising difficulties and the Arab-Israeli wars slowed progress. He admits that his deadline of 1997 is only an "intelligent guess," not a "promise," and that work could stretch years beyond that...