BY HILDA CUZCO
At least 60,000 Palestinians rallied January 19 in front of the former Israeli military headquarters in Hebron to welcome Palestinian Authority leader Yasir Arafat and celebrate the partial withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank city. It had been 30 years since the Palestinian leader visited Hebron, when it was still under Jordanian rule. In 1967, Tel Aviv seized the Gaza Strip and Sinai Peninsula from Egypt, East Jerusalem and the West Bank from Jordan, and the Golan Heights from Syria during the Middle East War.

"I now proclaim the city of Hebron as a liberated city," Arafat told the crowd. "Hebron is a step toward what comes after, to area B, area C, to the establishment of our Palestinian state," he added, referring to the rest of the territories from which Israeli troops are to be redeployed.

Arafat and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed the agreement on Hebron in the early hours of January 15, which stipulated the withdrawal of 80 percent of the Zionist troops from the city. Tel Aviv's troops continue to control 20 percent, ostensibly to protect the 500 Israeli settlers in this city of more than 130,000. These soldiers are allowed superior weapons than the Palestinian police.

The agreement included a "note for the record," negotiated with Washington envoy Dennis Ross, which underlines the mutual understanding for compliance with earlier accords reached in Oslo in 1993. The document reaffirms Tel Aviv's commitment to a three-stage redeployment of its troops from other parts of the West Bank starting the first week of March, the release of some political prisoners, the resumption of talks for a safe passage for Palestinians between the West Bank and Gaza, the opening of an airport and seaport in Gaza, and continued negotiations to be resumed within two months after implementation of Hebron accords.

The agreement also calls for the revision of the Palestinian National Charter, which currently calls for the destruction of the state of Israel. Talks on other unresolved issues including borders, resources, and the status of Jerusalem - originally scheduled to start last May - are now supposed to conclude in mid-1999.

While some cheered, other Palestinians expressed their doubts after the January 19 celebration rally. "I'm happy!" chanted Sadika Fatafta, 50, who came from the nearby village of Tarkumiyah to see Arafat. "This is what we want. Could we want anything better than this day?"

After the rally ended, Ghaleb Idries, a 30-year-old Palestinian, told a New York Times reporter, "When I look at these festivities, I feel that we are free. But when I return to the area I live in, I'll be full of sorrow -because part of the city is under the control of Israel, and there are soldiers and checkpoints."

Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi also expressed her doubts of the lack of an independent army or control of airspace or sovereign rights. "We have, let's say, an emerging state, but we don't have full control over the crossing points or freedom of movement over our land," said Ashrawi.

In his speech, Arafat promised that women prisoners will be freed along with the spiritual leader of the Hamas group Sheik Ahmed Yassin. The Islamic organization of Hamas considers Arafat a collaborator with the Israeli government. Tel Aviv had refused to release four women prisoners accused of murder. Another 25 Palestinian women prisoners refused to be released in solidarity with the four.

In Israel, Netanyahu has been fending off criticism for signing the accord. After a 12-hour meeting, Netanyahu's cabinet voted to accept the accords, but not without a sharp debate. Only 11 of the 18 cabinet members voted "yes." Zéev Begin, son of former prime minister Menachem Begin and a member of the ruling Likud party, resigned from the Cabinet in protest of the accord. Former prime minister Yitzhak Shamir, also of the Likud party, declared that the treaties were signed with a "terrorist gang." However, a poll taken over a three-year period showed that almost 70 percent of Israelis supported the Israeli and Palestinian talks.

Addressing parliament to explain the accords, Netanyahu denied any changes in his party's position. "There is no different Likud," he said. "There is a different reality which was forced upon us.... Leadership always - always - is the meeting ground between vision and reality, between ideology and practicality."

The role of Washington in the process of implementation of the accords assures its role in the Middle East. In a letter addressed to Netanyahu, included in the "note for the record," former U.S. secretary of state Warren Christopher reiterates their mutual collaboration. "Mr. Prime Minister, you can be assured that the United States' commitment to Israel's security is ironclad and constitutes the fundamental cornerstone of our special relationship.... Moreover, a hallmark of U.S. policy remains our commitment to work cooperatively to seek to meet the security needs that Israel identifies. Finally, I would like to reiterate our position that Israel is entitled to secure and defensible borders, which should be directly negotiated and agreed with its neighbors."  
 
 
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