Israel has its rewards

Israel is already reaping the rewards of its peace treaty signed with the PLO. No sooner had the ink dried...in Washington last Thursday, when the first prize for the Jewish state was announced: The sale of American supercomputers to it. Next came the consideration of the possible release of Jonathan Pollard, the American who spied for Israel. And third, Washington has also authorized Israel to use all its American loan guarantees to finance its budget deficit.

The obvious question, after learning of all these goodies Israel is to garner, is what the PLO gets in return for its signing of the peace deal? The accord does end 28 years of Israeli military rule in the West Bank.

All this should be enough. But there is a proviso that threatens to dampen the festivities: Many hardline Israelis, especially those who will continue to live alongside the Palestinians, are not quite in the mood for peace. They vow to ignore the deal. Jewish settlers raise the specter of a bloodbath. A future Likud government, it is reported, would not honor the accord.

No Jewish settlement is due to be evacuated under the peace deal. Still, settler leaders oppose the accord, accusing the government of selling them out and putting their security at risk.

The agreement gives the Palestinians more control over their lives, and that is one big step forward. However, if the Palestinians are not to take two steps backward, there must be a firm, irreversible commitment from the Israelis that, indeed, the pact will be honored, regardless of who holds the reigns of power in Israel come next year. It is imperative for Israel to live up to the accord and fulfill it in both letter and spirit. These are commitments which must be rock hard. It is the least reward to be expected.

-- Arab News, Riyadh