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)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.