Word: intifadas
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...supply in the politically precarious Gulf region. Right now, anti-American sentiment is running at what may be an all-time high, precisely because of a perception that the U.S. is unconditionally supporting Israel in its battle with the Palestinians. On Arab streets, the rage stoked by the intifada has put tremendous pressure on Arab governments traditionally allied with the U.S., weakening their already tenuous domestic political standing in the face of a mounting challenge from radical Islamists. It has become virtually impossible for those governments to support Washington's campaign to maintain pressure on Iraq, for example...
...limited way, the tactics of the Lebanon war, as Oslo appears to slip further and further into history. Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon appears to believe that Israel can tough it out, systematically raising the ante of military pressure and exhausting the Palestinians' will to sustain their intifada. He has repeatedly stressed that a political deal of the type discussed at Camp David is out of the question, and speaks instead of some kind of long-term cease-fire. And while Sharon allows his foreign minister, Shimon Peres, to hold talks with Arafat, he stresses at the same time that...
...Arabs have all but given up interest in sanctions. As long as the intifada rages and there is an Arab perception that America is on Israel's side, it is hard for any Arab government to wave the U.S. flag on Iraq. Not while their citizens charge every day that America is aiding the killing of Palestinians. Secretary of State Colin Powell was given a good hearing when he toured the region promoting "smart sanctions," but as long as the intifada continues it's hard for any government in the region to stick their necks...
...Sneineh highlights one of the problems faced by the Israeli army in contemplating military solutions to the current uprising: The Israeli army learned, during the last intifada, that its troops are constantly vulnerable when deployed inside Palestinian urban areas. It was no coincidence that although Israel withdrew its troops from less than 40 percent of the West Bank and Gaza during the Oslo years, it was happy to include most Palestinian urban areas in the territory it handed over - better to have your troops and tanks surround the town than to be facing a potential ambush around every corner...
...Reining in the militants" in Hebron is something of a tall order for Arafat. The leading force in the intifada on the ground today, in Hebron and everywhere else, is not Islamic Jihad or Hamas, but his own Fatah organization. That may make it sound simple enough: Just order the boys to stop firing at Israelis, and go out and arrest a few Islamists, and we'll have a cease-fire. But it's no longer that simple. The Palestinian street shows little enthusiasm for a cease-fire; opinion polls find that two out of three Palestinians support suicide bombings...