Prospects for Peace in the Occupied Territories

In May 1980, during a flare-up of tension in the occupied territories, an experienced commentator on the scene wrote in a British newspaper; Palestinians on the West Bank, after 13 years of this uneven battle, have at last found a unity and a sense of assurance which in the past has eluded them. Such a comment seems far removed from the reality of today, but it was an accurate reflection on the prevailing mood at the time. At the end of April, Jewish extremists, led by Rabbi Meir Kahane of Kach, had been on the rampage, smashing the windows of 150 cars and some 30 houses and shops in the Palestinian town of al-Bireh, near Ramallah. Four days later Kahane was back in Ramallah to demand the resignation and deportation of Mayor Karim Khalaf, while his aides distributed leaflets and posters in Arabic urging the local population to leave. The visit had the desired effect: it sparked a demonstration by almost 1,000 local residents and students, and sent four Palestinians to the hospital after soldiers dispersed the crowds with clubs and tear gas. Hebron was also smoldering with unrest, as feelings were running high between Palestinians of the town and the residents of the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Arba, which overlooks it and is home for Rabbi Kahane and many

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