News

 

DATE=  10/07/97

      TYPE=U-S OPINION ROUNDUP

    NUMBER=6-10382

     TITLE=BUNGLED HAMAS ASSASSINATION TRY ROILS ISRAEL

    BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE

 TELEPHONE=619-3335

  DATELINE=WASHINGTON

    



CONTENT=







INTRO:   THE UNSUCCESSFUL ATTEMPT BY ISRAELI AGENTS IN AMMAN, 

         JORDAN TO ASSASSINATE A HAMAS OFFICIAL, HAS THROWN THE 

         COUNTRY INTO A NEW TUMULT, AND THREATENS THE NETANYAHU 

         GOVERNMENT.



         U-S PAPERS ARE COMMENTING ON THE SITUATION, SOME AS 

         HARSHLY AS THE ISRAELI PRESS, WHEN IT COMES TO BLAMING 

         THE PRIME MINISTER FOR THE FIASCO.



         WE CALL ON ______________ FOR A CLOSER LOOK IN TODAY'S 

         U-S OPINION ROUNDUP. 



TEXT:    SEVERAL DAYS AGO, MEN CARRYING FORGED CANADIAN PASSPORTS

         AND BELIEVED TO BE AGENTS OF MOSSAD, THE ISRAELI SECRET 

         SERVICE, TRIED AND FAILED TO POISON AN OFFICIAL OF HAMAS

         IN AMMAN, JORDAN.



         TWO OF THE AGENTS WERE CHASED AND CAPTURED, WHILE THE 

         HAMAS OFFICIAL WAS TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL AND, ALTHOUGH 

         SERIOUSLY ILL, RECOVERED.  



         THE EVENT HAS CAUSED AN UPROAR IN ISRAEL, THE MIDDLE 

         EAST GENERALLY, AND BEYOND.  CANADA HAS RECALLED ITS 

         AMBASSADOR FROM ISRAEL OVER THE USED OF FORGED CANADIAN 

         PASSPORTS. JORDAN'S GOVERNMENT DEMANDED THE ANTIDOTE FOR

         THE POISON USED IN THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, AND  

         JORDAN'S KING HUSSEIN THEN BROKERED A DEAL THAT SAW THE 

         AILING MUSLIM RELIGIOUS LEADER WHO FOUNDED HAMAS, SHEIK 

         AHMED YASSIN, RELEASED FROM AN ISRAELI PRISON AND 

         EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO GAZA.



         SEVERAL OTHER HAMAS ACTIVISTS HAVE ALSO BEEN RELEASED 

         FROM ISRAELI JAILS, PRESUMABLY IN RETURN FOR THE TWO 

         ISRAELI AGENTS BEING HELD IN JORDANIAN POLICE CUSTODY.  

         PAPERS IN ISRAEL AND HERE IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE 

         LEVELED THEIR MOST INTENSE CRITICISM AT ISRAELI PRIME 

         MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, WHO IS REPORTED TO HAVE 

         PERSONALLY ORDERED THE ASSASSINATION EFFORT.



         WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING IN THE MIDWEST, WHERE THE CHICAGO 

         TRIBUNE IS VERY CLEAR IN HOW IT FEELS ABOUT THE ISRAELI 

         LEADER. 



VOICE:   "IT'S CLEAR THERE WILL BE  NO  PEACE WHILE [MR.] 

         NETANYAHU IS THE ISRAELI LEADER.  IT'S CLEAR, TOO, THAT 

         THIS MAN WHO WON OFFICE BY PLEDGING TO SHORE UP 

         [STRENGTHEN] ISRAEL'S SECURITY HAS, IN FACT, ONLY PUT 

         HIS COUNTRY IN GREATER LONG-TERM PERIL, EVEN AS HE 

         TURNED HIS BACK ON PEACE.   EVEN APOLOGISTS FOR [PRIME 

         MINISTER] NETANYAHU MUST TAKE PAUSE AT THE MOST RECENT 

         EVENTS.  ....... [MR.] NETANYAHU AND HIS GOVERNMENT HAVE

         BEEN EXPOSED AS BUNGLERS.  ..... ISRAEL HAS DAMAGED ITS 

         RELATIONSHIP WITH JORDAN, ITS ONLY FRIEND LEFT IN THE 

         ARAB WORLD.  .... IT'S TIME FOR THE ISRAELI PEOPLE TO 

         TAKE A SOBER LOOK AT WHAT [MR.] NETANYAHU HAS WROUGHT 

         AND WHAT HIS CONTINUED LEADERSHIP WILL MEAN FOR THEIR 

         COUNTRY."



TEXT:    IN NEW ENGLAND, THE BOSTON GLOBE IS OF THE SAME MIND, 

         SUGGESTING:



VOICE:   "THE BOTCHED ASSASSINATION THAT LED TO A REPORTED DEAL 

         BETWEEN ISRAEL'S PRIME MINISTER .... NETANYAHU AND KING 

         HUSSEIN OF JORDAN FOR THE RELEASE OF SHEIK AHMAD YASSIN,

         THE FOUNDER OF HAMAS, HAS THE MARKINGS OF A CERTAIN KIND

         OF BLUNDER --  THE KIND THAT HAPPENS WHEN A DEMOCRATIC 

         GOVERNMENT TRIES TO CONDUCT POLICY WITH MAFIA TACTICS.  

         ..... CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE [JORDANIAN] 

         KING, YASSER ARAFAT, AND ISRAEL  --  THE THREE 

         PRINCIPALS IN MIDEAST PEACEMAKING.  THE KING WAS MADE TO

         LOOK LIKE A DUPE OF THE ISRAELIS AND A CONNIVER WHO 

         STILL WISHES TO COMPETE WITH [MR.] ARAFAT FOR PRESTIGE 

         AMONG PALESTINIANS.  [MR.] ARAFAT WAS HUMILIATED BECAUSE

         [SHEIK] YASSIN'S RELEASE, WHICH ARAFAT HAD REQUESTED 

         MANY TIMES, WAS BESTOWED ON KING HUSSEIN.  ISRAEL'S 

         ENTANGLEMENT IN AN UNNECESSARY CLANDESTINE OPERATION 

         IMPERILED ITS PEACE WITH JORDAN AND PLAYED INTO THE 

         HANDS OF THE HAMAS FUNDAMENTALISTS  --  THE ENEMIES OF 

         PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE. .... IT IS A TALE OF INCOMPETENCE 

         AND BAD FAITH -- NOT THE WAY FOR A DEMOCRATIC STATE TO 

         COMBAT TERRORIST FANATICS."



TEXT:    ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST INFLUENTIAL DAILY PAPERS, THE 

         MASS CIRCULATION NEW YORK TIMES SEEMS BEWILDERED AT THIS

         LATEST TURN OF EVENTS, COMMENTING:



VOICE:   "ISRAEL HAS DAMAGED ITS OWN INTERESTS WITH A BUNGLED 

         ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST A HAMAS LEADER IN AMMAN, 

         JORDAN.  EVEN IF THE TWO AGENTS OF ITS MOSSAD 

         INTELLIGENCE SERVICE HAD SUCCEEDED IN KILLING KHALED 

         MESHAL WITH AN INJECTION OF POISON, ISRAEL WOULD HAVE 

         COMPROMISED ITS RELATIONS WITH THREE IMPORTANT FRIENDS 

         --  JORDAN, CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES -- FOR NO 

         OBVIOUS SECURITY GAINS.  ISRAEL'S FURY AND FRUSTRATION 

         OVER TERRORIST BOMBINGS ARE UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT TRYING 

         TO ASSASSINATE PALESTINIAN LEADERS IN REVENGE IS  NOT  

         THE ANSWER. .... THE POLICY [OF ASSASSINATION] LONG 

         PREDATES HIS [MR. NETANYAHU'S] RULE.  LEADERS OF A NEW 

         AND WEAK ISRAEL FELT JUSTIFIED IN DEFENDING THEIR 

         COUNTRY BY WHATEVER MEANS THEY HAD AVAILABLE.  A 

         MILITARILY FORMIDABLE ISRAEL THAT RIGHTLY DEMANDS 

         ACCEPTANCE FROM ITS NEIGHBORS SHOULD SET ASIDE 

         STATE-SPONSORED ASSASSINATION AS A FOREIGN-POLICY TOOL."



                              [OPT]



TEXT:     IN TUESDAY'S [10/7] MIAMI HERALD, THE PAPER CALLS THE 

         PRIME MINISTER "HIS OWN WORST ENEMY," AND SPELLS OUT 

         WHAT THE INCIDENT HAS ACCOMPLISHED IN ITS VIEW.



VOICE:   "HIS INEPT ACTION HAS:  INFURIATED CANADA, WHICH 

         RECALLED ITS AMBASSADOR IN ANGER OVER ISRAEL'S ISSUING 

         FALSE CANADIAN PASSPORTS TO THE SPIES.  WEAKENED MR. 

         NETANYAHU'S MORAL SUASION TO DEMAND THAT PALESTINIAN 

         AUTHORITY PRESIDENT YASSER ARAFAT CRACK DOWN HARDER ON 

         HAMAS AND ISLAMIC JIHAD TERRORISTS.  THAT'S BECAUSE, IN 

         A SWAP FOR THE TWO MOSSAD AGENTS, MR. NETANYAHU 

         YESTERDAY FREED 20 PALESTINIANS AND JORDANIANS JAILED 

         FOR VIOLENCE, AND WILL FREE 40 TO 50 MORE WITHIN TWO 

         WEEKS.  .... [AND PERMIT] THE RETURN TO GAZA CITY OF THE

         AILING HAMAS FOUNDER, SHEIK AHMED YASSIN ........ 

         UNDERCUT KING HUSSEIN, ISRAEL'S BEST FRIEND AMONG ARAB 

         RULERS. ..... POTENTIALLY REDUCED MR. ARAFAT'S AUTHORITY

         AMONG THE PALESTINIANS.  ..... ISRAEL HAS ENOUGH TO 

         CONTEND WITH FROM ISLAMIC TERRORISTS WHO DON'T WANT 

         MIDEAST PEACE UNDER ANY TERMS.  ISRAELIS INCREASINGLY 

         MUST WONDER WHAT TO DO ABOUT A PRIME MINISTER WHO 

         SOMETIMES ACTS LIKE HIS OWN WORST ENEMY."



TEXT:    THE LOS ANGELES TIMES THINKS IT WAS A PRETTY BAD MOVE 

         ALSO.



VOICE:   "IN SUM, [MR.] NETANYAHU HAS BROUGHT ABOUT PRECISELY THE

         REVERSE OF WHAT HE SET OUT TO ACHIEVE.  HAMAS IS 

         STRONGER, THE ISRAEL-JORDAN RELATIONSHIP IS DEEPLY 

         STRAINED, MOSSAD, ISRAEL'S C-I-A, IS DISCREDITED, AND 

         THE PRIME MINISTER IS EXPOSED AS A PRIME BUNGLER ...."



TEXT:    WHILE THIS GLUM ASSESSMENT APPEARED IN THE WASHINGTON 

         POST.



VOICE:   "THE INCIDENT IS MORE THAN A PASSING SCANDAL.  FEW 

         OTHERS WOULD DENY THAT, IN THE PALESTINIAN SUICIDE 

         BOMBERS, ISRAEL HAS A FIENDISH SECURITY PROBLEM THAT 

         REQUIRES AND JUSTIFIES SPECIAL SECURITY MEASURES.  BUT 

         IT MATTERS GREATLY HOW ISRAEL ADDRESSES THAT PROBLEM.  

         COUNTERTERRORISM HAS ITS CLAIMS ..... BUT 

         COUNTERTERRORISM CONDUCTED WITHOUT DUE REGARD FOR THE 

         CIRCUMSTANCES OF EACH OPERATION ENDS UP DIMINISHING 

         ISRAELI SECURITY."



                            [END OPT]



TEXT:    AND FINALLY, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR, STRIVING TO 

         FIND SOMETHING POSITIVE FROM THE INCIDENT, OPINES:



VOICE:   "WHAT DO ALL THESE NEW WRINKLES MEAN FOR MIDDLE EASTERN 

         PEACEMAKING?  WILL [MR.] NETANYAHU BE FORCED TO BECOME 

         MORE ACCOMMODATING ON LIMITING SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY IN 

         THE WEST BANK AND JERUSALEM'S NEIGHBORHOODS?  WHAT'S THE

         IMPORT OF SHEIKH YASSIN'S MODERATING TONE?  AT THE 

         LEAST, THERE'S GREATER FLUIDITY, WHICH COULD BE AN 

         IMPROVEMENT OVER THE SET-IN-CONCRETE IMPASSES OF THE 

         LAST FEW MONTHS."



TEXT:    THAT CONCLUDES THIS BRIEF SAMPLING OF OPINION FROM THE 

         U-S PRESS OVER ISRAEL'S BOTCHED ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT OF

         A HAMAS OFFICIAL IN JORDAN.



NEB/ANG/KL



         



07-Oct-97 2:20 PM EDT (1820 UTC)

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Source: Voice of America

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