An Unpromising Start for Peace

Raids, retaliations and settlements cast a pall over negotiations

The ceremony began in brilliant afternoon sunshine at the U.S. monitoring station in the Sinai desert. First the Egyptian army band and honor guard marched smartly past the assembled officials and journalists. Israeli musicians and soldiers quickly followed. Then each band played for the guests, and played again. And again. And again. By the time an hour had passed, most spectators suspected something had gone wrong, and they were correct: after 17 months of negotiations, the two countries were still haggling over the language in the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty and its accompanying documents.

This time the disputed word was "inhabitants." The Egyptians wanted it omitted from a joint letter on the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, to make it clear that autonomy for the two regions applied to the land and not just to its Palestinian inhabitants. The Israelis, who claim a biblical right to settle in what they call Judea and Samaria (ancient names for the West Bank), maintained that autonomy applies to the people, but not to the land they live on. Eventually the matter was settled by the drafting of one more supplementary letter, and the ceremony was allowed to proceed, 2 1/2 hours behind schedule. Beneath a rapidly setting sun, Saad Afra, Egypt's Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and Israel's Eliahu Ben-Elissar, Director General of the Premier's Office, formally exchanged the ratified documents, making the treaty official at last.

The week had begun inauspiciously for the cause of peace. On Sunday four Palestinian terrorists landed in a rubber dinghy at the northern Israeli resort of Nahariya. There they murdered two adults and an infant, and a second child was killed accidentally; four other Israelis were injured. Two of the raiders were captured by Israeli soldiers and police; the other two were killed.

The terrorist attack was the third effort by Palestinians to infiltrate Israel within a week, and Israelis were enraged at the latest civilian deaths. At the funeral for the Nahariya victims, Premier Menachem Begin declared: "A fitting revenge for the murder of children has not been devised yet by the devil himself." Later he declared that the death penalty should be imposed against terrorists who use extraordinary cruelty. That penalty has not been used since Adolf Eichmann's execution in 1962.

Within 14 hours of the raid on Nahariya, Israeli gunboats began a four-day barrage of Palestine Liberation Organization bases along the coast, and Israeli warplanes attacked Palestinian artillery emplacements north of the Litani River. The Israelis also caused heavy damage in several Lebanese cities and towns, including Tyre. According to the Palestinians, Israeli planes dropped U.S.-made cluster bombs on the villages of Sarafand and Arnoun. In all, at least 50 people were killed in the Israeli attacks. Soon thousands of Lebanese were trying to flee northward, as they had done during the fighting a year ago, taking with them a few belongings and some cattle, sheep or goats. After four days, the United Nations forces in Lebanon arranged a cease-fire and at week's end it seemed to be holding.

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat deplored the Israeli retaliation, but his strong words were unlikely to mollify his erstwhile allies in the Middle East who believe that Sadat has sold out the Arab cause. Israeli Defense Minister Ezer Weizman arrived in Cairo last week to discuss the return of the Sinai to Egyptian sovereignty. His visit, which coincided with the reprisal attacks on Lebanon, was certain to intensify the criticism of Sadat by his Arab enemies. Indeed, Weizman attracted some criticism himself by announcing at Cairo airport that the P.L.O. should "stop shooting and start talking." Since Israel's longstanding policy is to neither recognize nor negotiate with the P.L.O., Weizman's comment caused some disgruntlement back home. Later he explained that he had meant to say Palestinians, not the P.L.O.

As a consequence of action taken at a summit meeting in Baghdad a month ago, eight more Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, last week broke diplomatic relations with Egypt. The Saudis may not make any new aid commitments to Egypt, but they will apparently honor ones already in force, including bankrolling a $525 million purchase of 50 F-5E jet fighter planes from the U.S. Another snub to Egypt was administered in Vienna, at a conference of news agencies from Europe and the Middle East. When representatives of Cairo's Middle East News Agency showed up, delegates from 18 other Arab news organizations boycotted the meeting.

Sadat is looking forward to the start of negotiations with Israel next month on autonomy for the West Bank and Gaza. But with so much depending on the outcome, he was understandably angered to learn that the Israelis had decided to set up two new Jewish settlements on the West Bank, including one at Shiloh, which formerly was alleged to be merely an archaeological site. An Egyptian official accused the Israelis of "trying to talk the Palestinians out of cooperating in the peace process," adding: "They are just strengthening the doubts and suspicions that the Palestinians already have." It certainly looked that way. Egypt, with its old allies turned to enemies, is banking on the U.S. to convince Israel that the settlements must be removed if the Palestinians are ever to enjoy the promise of autonomy that is outlined in the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.

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