Word: palestinians
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...happened, the Israelis were actually the first to get it from the Palestinian masses, who are incensed by Netanyahu's blatant foot-dragging in the peace process. His predecessor, Labor's Shimon Peres, was also regarded as excessively tough. But, notes Ali Jirbawi, "at least with Peres there was a sense that we were moving. Slowly, yes, but the dream of an independent Palestine was still alive. What is dangerous about Netanyahu is that he shattered this dream...
...Labor government had been edging toward acceptance of a Palestinian state, albeit one with restricted powers and circumscribed borders. Netanyahu, however, is dead set against that; if he has his way, autonomy is all the Palestinians will ever achieve. Neither his reluctant summit with Arafat last month nor the subsequent follow-up meetings produced any progress toward the expansion of Palestinian authority in the West Bank promised in the Oslo accords. Says a senior Western diplomat in Israel: "The Israelis talk the talk, but nothing changes on the ground." Adds Khaled al-Qidrah, Arafat's attorney-general: "The behavior...
...stalemate has been exacerbated by profound economic distress in the territories. For seven months, Israel, in response to terror attacks, has curtailed the number of Arab day laborers allowed to enter Israel, contributing to a 50% Palestinian unemployment rate. Netanyahu recently agreed to increase the permits for day laborers by 18,000 to 50,000. Still, economic growth is impeded by Israeli restrictions. Lengthy security checks mean few Palestinian goods reach the Israeli market, even as Israeli products flow freely through the crossing points. Palestinian trade with Jordan and Egypt is restricted, also for security reasons, as is commerce between...
...that he was not responding to their appeals to restore calm. On Thursday afternoon Arafat issued a call to his forces for restraint. But it was half-hearted, and the violence, though lessened, continued into Saturday. Netanyahu, once so resolutely standoffish, phoned Arafat asking for a meeting. But the Palestinian leader gave no firm answer. Says Jirbawi: "He wants to give it back to Netanyahu...
...goat. The outbreak of violence caught Netanyahu on a European tour, and his comments from abroad seemed eerily out of sync with developments back home. While Muslims worldwide howled in protest, he announced he was "proud" that his government had opened the Jerusalem tunnel. Hours after the initial Israeli-Palestinian gunfight, he asserted that "there is nothing to worry about." As for the complaint that the peace process was moribund, he maintained, that was absurd since he had after all already met with Arafat once. Asked whether he thought Netanyahu was insensitive, a senior U.S. diplomat replied, "Oh, my gosh...