Mideast peace under siege

The Islamic militants of Hamas knew exactly what they wanted to accomplish by bombing a crowded bus in the heart of Tel Aviv -- the most devastating act of terrorism against Israel in 16 years. Their acknowledged goal is to destroy the growing momentum for negotiated peace.

Eradicating terrorism will take a long time and it is an illusion to think that even the best police work can completely guarantee public safety. Israel must do all it can to dry up the sea of sympathizers in which these killers swim, by responding to the legitimate political claims of the Palestinian population and continuing to negotiate peace agreements with neighboring Arab states.

Hawks in Israel are already blaming Mr. Rabin's peace diplomacy for Wednesday's attack. Some of these Israelis seek to discredit a peace process they do not like. Others sincerely believe that security can only come from repression.

But even the hard-line Likud governments were not able to stop terrorism by force alone.

Meanwhile President Bill Clinton is right to go ahead with his scheduled trip to the Middle East next week to witness the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty. To let terrorists disrupt peace diplomacy is to let them succeed.

-- The New York Times