There was a poll in one of the leading Israeli newspapers today, which says that 65 percent of Israelis support what is called a more sharp Israeli military against the Palestinians. And even though there were these air strikes, they ve really been seen only as a warning and not really as punishment or deterrence by the majority of Israelis. But there are Israeli ministers who ve said quite bluntly that this is the start of a new policy. And since they re pinning the blame directly on Yasser Arafat and his forces close to him, the suggestion is that they will ratchet up the pressure in whichever way they can on Mr. Arafat and his authority. Now that may not yet be the official Palestinian Authority position but it suggests just how far the situation is on the threshold of escalating seriously.
Many tourist attractions are absolutely desolate.
There are occasional pilgrim groups that visit Bethlehem and Jericho, but most of the Palestinians towns are anyway cordoned off or very difficult to get in and out of easily. And so they ve been absolutely devastated as part of the Palestinian economy has been. On the Israeli side it s hardly better. There are some Jewish tourist or Christian groups which are traditionally friendly to Israel who have been deliberately coming, but by and large tourism is not just down, it s virtually zeroed off. And there are hotels all around Israel which have either closed or closed major sections, and that has had a major spillover into the economy.