Editorial: Measured response in face of terrorism

Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2001 | 8:49 a.m.

The Israeli government's restrained response to the terrorist attacks it has endured during recent months has been extraordinary. In June a suicide bomber killed 21 Israelis at a Tel Aviv disco. Then last Thursday another Palestinian bomber killed 14 people at a packed restaurant in downtown Jerusalem. On Sunday a Palestinian bomber wounded 20 Israelis at a cafe near Haifa.

After the last two bombings, the Israeli government took over the Palestinian Authority's offices at the Orient House in East Jerusalem and demolished a police station in Jenin, a Palestinian-controlled town. The counter-moves authorized by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in no way resemble the kind of unconscionable actions taken by the militant Palestinians. But don't tell that to Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority. "The Palestinian people are committed to continuing the uprising, and Israel must be punished," said Jalal Jalad, a leader of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. The Palestinian Authority couldn't care less about cracking down on terrorism in its territory. It actually is executing Palestinians who it believes have helped Israel identify and track down terrorists.

Israel has been more than willing to work toward a peace agreement, only to have Yasser Arafat thumb his nose at the peace process by refusing to negotiate in good faith. Add in the latest wave of terrorism, and any doubts about the Palestinian Authority's true aims should be dispelled.