WASHINGTON, 19 January — Israel thought when it captured the Karine-A, loaded with arms, that it would win itself new backing for its campaign against terrorism. Instead, it led to angry exchanges. Israel was angry over Washington lukewarm response to the incident. And Washington believed the Israelis used the incident as an excuse to not return to the negotiation table.
Israel seized the Karine-A, carrying some 50 tons of weaponry, last week. According to Israeli officials, it was heading for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. The incident was immediately used by the Israelis to produce numerous press conferences and public statements by Israeli officials — who were keen to show the warlike intentions of the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Yasser Arafat.
Back in Washington, however, the State Department expressed a cautious reaction over the ship’s seizure, and refused to charge Arafat as guilty for the arms shipment. Both Secretary of State Colin Powell and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said that Washington was still waiting for additional information about the incident, and did not link Arafat to the operation; while adding the United States expected a full explanation from the Palestinian leader.
Five days after the event, the State Department acknowledged "Palestinian involvement" only after a televised admission by the ship’s captain — from an Israeli jail — that the Palestinian Authority was behind the shipment. This reserved American response drew angry responses from Israeli officials and Jewish organizational leaders, some of whom insisted US officials had helped trace the boat and must have had first-hand knowledge of its origins. (The hawkish Israeli Prime Minister Sharon’s government yesterday retracted its statement that the US had initially informed the Israelis about the shipment.)
Washington insiders said the reserved US response was meant to lower Israeli expectations, and that Washington was careful not to focus too much attention on the incident, as they did not want the Israelis to take it as a sign to respond "too strongly."
Infuriated, the Zionist Organization of America sent a telegram to President George B. Bush, demanding that Washington cut off all US aid to the Palestinian Authority, freeze its assets in America, and send FBI agents overseas to "capture" Palestinian terrorists.
Meanwhile, sensing a media opportunity, Sharon flew with diplomats and reporters to Israel’s Red Sea port of Eilat to inspect the weapons, and declare that the aborted operation proved that Palestinian Authority was a "major player in the network of international terrorism" and that Arafat was a "bitter enemy of Israel." It was the first time since taking office that Sharon referred to Arafat as an "enemy."
The Israeli media reported that Sharon’s propaganda trip was a fiasco. It was supposed to produce heavy pro-Israeli media coverage, but instead proved a public relations failure. One of many charges included the refusal by the Army spokesman’s office to release key film footage of the ship and its contents.
