Editorials
Monday, September 7, 1998

The reign of terror
by Palestinian police

PALESTINIANS are applauding the first executions carried out by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian National Authority. But it's a backhanded sort of applause. They are hoping the executions signal an end to the reign of terror by Arafat's security officers.

Both the victims and the killers were security men. Two brothers were executed by a firing squad for killing two other officers at a wedding party in what was described as a family feud. No time was wasted. The accused were tried, convicted and executed in three days.

This case was unusual in that the offenders were punished. The Palestinian police agencies operating in the West Bank and Gaza generally operate with impunity. One of the victims was a ranking official in Arafat's Fatah faction, and this may explain why Arafat upheld the death sentence. Since the advent of Palestinian self-rule in 1994, all previous death sentences had been commuted.

However, informal executions are commonplace. At least 20 Palestinians have died in police custody over the past four years and others have "disappeared." The security services are accused of torture and other human rights abuses. Their victims include both political opponents of Arafat and Islamic militants.

Not only does Arafat's government condone police brutality; it is also corrupt. An auditor's report last year found that $350 million in a budget of $800 million had been stolen. Two cabinet members resigned in protest when Arafat announced a cabinet reshuffle that retained corrupt officials.

Public opinion polls indicate that more than two-thirds of the Palestinians consider their government corrupt, their police brutal and Arafat's chances of delivering statehood slim. Fewer than 45 percent would vote for him again.

Arafat's arbitrary ways weaken the credibility of the government and make it more difficult to convince Israel that the Palestinians are ready for statehood. But no preferable Palestinian leader is in sight. This is one reason the peace process has broken down.

Taiwan's president

DURING his recent trip to China, President Clinton appeared to move closer to Beijing's position on Taiwan by embracing the "three noes" -- no U.S. support for Taiwan's independence, no recognition for Taipei and no support for Taiwan's entry into the United Nations or other international organizations.

In response, the Republican Congress passed resolutions reaffirming the U.S. commitment to Taiwan's security as called for in the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act. The law acknowledges Beijing as the legitimate government of China but expresses a commitment to aid in Taiwan's defense and calls for Taiwan's membership in international financial institutions.

The resolutions may have encouraged Taiwan's President Lee Teng-hui to continue to steer his government on an independent course. In an interview last week, Lee ridiculed Beijing's concept of "one China" and emphasized that Taiwan's destiny must be determined only by its people. He scoffed at suggestions that he work out some kind of an agreement with Beijing on Taiwan's future.

The president reiterated that Taiwan wants reunification once China achieves democracy, but made it clear he thought this would take decades. And despite Clinton's stand, Lee said he had been searching for ways to end Taiwan's diplomatic isolation. One such tactic has been to seek admission to the United Nations -- so far unsuccessfully.

Lee rejected any deal in which Taiwan would pledge not to declare independence in return for a promise by Beijing that it would not use force to occupy Taiwan, saying it wouldn't work. "Why get engaged if engagement is equivalent to becoming a local government and making ourselves slaves?" he asked.

The U.S. policy on China and Taiwan has long been described as "strategic ambiguity." Given the gulf between the positions taken by Clinton and Congress, confusion might be a more accurate term. Meanwhile Taiwan's defiant posture is making strategic planners nervous.

Water on the moon

COLONIZING the moon just got a lot easier. Not that it will ever be a cinch. But the discovery of vast amounts of ice on the moon means that it wouldn't be necessary for earthlings to bring their own water to live there.

Data from the Lunar Prospector spacecraft now orbiting the moon show as much as 10 billion tons of ice may lie near the moon's poles. This is deduced by scientists from the discovery of an abundance of hydrogen at the poles. Alan Binder, chief scientist for the spacecraft, said there is at least one billion tons of water and possibly as much as 10 billion tons on the moon.

How did the water get there? One theory is that comets smashing into the moon sprayed water vapor that became trapped in deep shaded areas, where it could stay frozen indefinitely. The water could not only be used to sustain life in a moon colony; by breaking it down into hydrogen and oxygen, the water could be used for rocket fuel to power spaceships.

Scientists say the discovery settles a 30-year-old debate and makes colonizing the moon much more attractive. This could be the key to setting off another phase of space exploration.

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Rupert E. Phillips, CEO

John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher

David Shapiro, Managing Editor

Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor

Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors

A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor