Dr. Aaron Lerner is co-founder of IMRA, Independent Media Review and Analysis, an Israel-based news organization which provides an extensive digest of media, polls and significant interviews and events relating to the Israeli-Arab conflict. imra@netvision.net.il.
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Rock and firebomb throwers to be freed?
By Dr. Aaron Lerner   June 13, 2001

Israel Radio diplomatic correspondent Yoni Ben Menachem reported this morning that the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam presents details of the CIA director Tenet's cease-fire proposal.

The report did not include reference to the arrest of terrorists.

The proposal includes that "Israel will release all Palestinians detainees who are not directly connected to terror attacks." Ben Menachem explained, "that is to say that all the stone and firebomb throwers will be released."

It is not clear if this amnesty program will apply to rock and firebomb throwers who have not yet been captured or if they will be provided a "window" within which to register with the Israeli authorities so that they can then be released under the amnesty program. The rock thrower who murdered the baby buried this week, for example, may not enjoy the amnesty program this time around since he has not yet been caught.

IMRA was unable to get confirmation from Israeli officials regarding the amnesty program.

Observers have raised concern that the amnesty program has several dangerous elements to it:

+ If and when the current "cease-fire" falls apart, stone and firebomb throwers can try to kill Israelis secure in the knowledge that they will enjoy amnesty the next time there is a cease-fire.

+ Israeli security forces may feel less inclined endangering their lives while trying to detain stone and firebomb throwers since they can expect that the detainees will ultimately enjoy amnesty.

Another feature of the proposal as reported in the paper, is that Israel must rely on "non-lethal weapons to disperse demonstrations".

Since in Palestinian parlance, "demonstrators" include mobs trying to murder Israeli security forces with rocks and firebombs, or mobs throwing rocks and firebombs at passing vehicles, it appears under the proposed rules that "demonstrators" willing to brave "non-lethal weapons" will enjoy the opportunity to murder Israelis without being subject to the risk of serious bodily harm. (They are however at risk of being temporarily detained until the next cease-fire).

This is not to say that the Tenet proposal condones killing with rocks and firebombs, just that it may not consider these activities serious enough to warrant anything except a "non-lethal" response.

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