Furious with having to play second fiddle to Washington--and with the sudden reminder of who really calls the shots in the region--Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon called on U.S. president George Bush, "the leader of the free world," not to repeat the mistake of appeasing Nazi Germany in 1938 by offering Hitler part of Czechoslovakia for a "convenient temporary solution. Do not appease the Arabs at our expense," said Sharon on October 4.

White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer, in unusually harsh diplomatic language, said the "prime minister's remarks are unacceptable" and said Bush was "angered" by Sharon's comparison because "he has been an especially close friend of Israel's."

Sharon responded with the biggest military operation in over a year, sending troops and armor into the West Bank town of Hebron, killing five Palestinians.

For their part, the Palestinians in the occupied territories have continued to resist the large-scale assaults carried out by the Israeli military, the impact of the ongoing siege of their cities and farms, and the frequent violence perpetrated by soldiers, police, and right-wing settlers.

The Israeli invasion and occupation of Hebron, a city of 120,000 Palestinians, exemplified their approach in the ongoing conflict. Acting before dawn, Israeli tanks, infantry, and paratroopers seized control of neighborhoods that are home to 40,000 people. There are a few hundred Israeli settlers living in a fortified enclave in the town as well.

Asked how long the Israeli forces would remain, Brig. Gen. Yitzhak Gershon, the Israeli commander in the West Bank, replied, "Who knows?"

"It's obvious they're going to stay for a while," said the city's mayor, Mustafa Natshe.

The Palestinian death toll stood at more than 650 people after Israeli forces killed six people during marches and demonstrations on September 28 marking the anniversary of the heightened resistance and crackdown. Some 180 Israelis have also been killed. "We are fighting for Jerusalem, for our lives, for our land," said Musa al-Madana, 20, who was wounded by Israeli fire during protests in the West Bank town of Ramallah.

In the period since the September 11 attacks, the U.S. rulers have, for the moment, backed off their previous support for the Israeli rulers' escalating war and threats of an all-out offensive against the Palestinians. Washington's efforts to promote itself as a mediator "have taken on new significance as the Bush administration tries to rally Arab and Muslim support for a coalition against terrorism and demonstrate that the United States is not waging war on Islam," reported the October 3 Washington Post.

"We've called on the Israeli government to halt the demolition of Palestinian homes and to halt the incursions by Israeli Defense Forces into Palestinian-controlled areas," said State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher on September 27, in a typical statement. "We think it's important for Israel to refrain from provocative acts that can only escalate tensions and undermine efforts to bring about a lasting halt to violence." He also called on the Palestinian Authority to "preempt violence [and] arrest those responsible."

"Some officials in Jerusalem have complained privately that Washington is treating Israel like a pariah," reported the Post on October 8. "As an example, they cite Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's decision to avoid Israel in his swing through the Middle East and Central Asia last week." Rumsfeld visited Saudi Arabia, Oman, Egypt, and Uzbekistan in an attempt to drum up political and material support for imperialist aggression.

Washington has pointedly not invited the heavily-armed, well-trained, and technically compatible Israeli military to join its assaults on Afghanistan--a replay of its approach in the Gulf War of 1990–91. Exclusion from participation in that assault was the price the Israeli rulers paid for Washington's close alliance with the regimes in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Syria.  
 
Arafat supports Washington's war
Palestinian Authority chairman Yasir Arafat declared support for Washington's war against "terrorism" on September 18. "I have informed the U.S. that we have put all our capabilities under their disposal, and of our readiness to be part of the international alliance for ending terrorism against unarmed innocent civilians," he said on September 18.

Arafat did not comment on the bombing raids launched on October 7. In line with his promise to crack down on Palestinian protests, officials of the Palestinian Authority banned demonstrations. The next morning, however, around 1,000 students marched out of Gaza's Islamic University, an institution associated with the Islamic Hamas organization, shouting slogans against the war. Joined by students from the neighboring Al Azzar University, affiliated with Arafat's Fatah movement, they marched towards the Palestinian Legislative Council.

A number carried pictures of Osama bin Laden, identified by Washington as one of its military targets. Bin Laden's October 7 statement condemning Israeli repression "struck a chord" among Palestinians, including those who stated opposition to the September 11 attacks, reported the New York Times and Washington Post.

Palestinian Authority police opened fire on the students with tear gas, rubber bullets, and then live ammunition, killing two youth and forcing others back behind the campus gates. In the four hours of unrest, at least four police posts were torched. Protesters reportedly shouted, "Go shoot at the Israelis, not at us." Doctors said 142 Palestinian security personnel and 72 protesters were injured.

Arafat ordered the closing of universities and schools in Gaza in a further attempt to halt protests against the war and signs of support for Bin Laden.  
 
 
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