Support for peace thrives despite bombings
March 8, 1996
Web posted at: 4:30 p.m. EST (2130 GMT)From Jerusalem Bureau Chief Walter Rodgers
JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The recent suicide bombings in Israel seemed to have undermined support for the Middle East peace process. But it appears the damage may not be as bad as some had feared.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat condemned the bombings and expressed optimism regarding anti-terrorists efforts.
"Terror and violence is against Islam, and against God,"
-- Palestinian President Yasser Arafat
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"Terror and violence is against Islam, and against God," he said, adding that a he believes a hastily called international summit on combating terrorism, to meet next week in Egypt, is a good idea.
During Friday prayers, many imams also denounced the suicide bombings that claimed close to 60 lives in Israel in the past two weeks. Many of the same mosques were searched earlier for weapons by Arafat's police, but the message of the day seemed to be moderation.
"We should escape this cycle of violence by attacking the root causes," a Muslim cleric said.
Body searches of Palestinians simply standing on the streets of Hebron is among Arab grievances that are keeping hatred alive. Indeed, the very idea of Israeli soldiers still patrolling in the predominantly Palestinian city of Hebron is a sore point.
"As long as we don't have our rights, Israelis won't have peace," one Palestinian said.
Israeli punishment has been swift and sure. A house belonging the family of one of the suicide bombers was demolished without hesitation.
Yet amid the hatred and revenge, support for Prime Minister Shimon Peres' peace accords remains strong, with one poll showing 64 percent of Israelis still support the peace process.
Outside Peres' home, hundreds of Israelis encouraged him to go on despite the recent tragedies.
"What we want to tell Shimon Peres is to fight against terrorism and continue the peace process," said one Israeli. (84K AIFF sound or 84K WAV sound)
Speaking to reporters, Peres said, "While fighting terror with all force, we are also determined (to fight) wholeheartedly for the peace process and we shall do both and we shall achieve the two." (125K AIFF sound or 125K WAV sound)
Peres' slide in the polls has not been as bad as some expected.
A Dahaf Institute poll taken one day after Monday's bombing in Tel Aviv showed him trailing Likud Party challenger Binyamin Netanyahu 49 percent to 46 percent. But three days later, a Maariv poll placed Peres back in the lead, 46 percent to 40 percent.
Israeli security officials now believe explosives used by the suicide bombers came from old Egyptian anti-tank mines, and they say U.S. bomb detection equipment sent to Israel and the Palestinians could sniff out these explosives.
Amid talk of peace, there may well be more bombs. The military wing of the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas has released a new leaflet vowing to continue its attacks on Israel, saying "We will not stop our Holy Fighting and operations against the Jews."
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