(June 19, 1996)

Arafat, speaking in China, said the peace accords were an international agreement rather than a bilateral one between the Palestinians and Israel.

„Now it is the turn of the international community. I am not alone now,“ Arafat said. „We hope everyone will be committed to what has been agreed upon.“

Khalil Shakaki, head of a West Bank think tank, predicted Netanyahu will eventually support a Palestinian state confined only to the Gaza Strip – where almost half the Palestinians now under autonomy live. He predicted a complex „arrangement“ in the larger West Bank, possibly including a role for neighboring Jordan.

Netanyahu‘s first test of intentions will come soon: He must decide whether to honor the outgoing government‘s commitment to withdraw troops from Hebron, the last West Bank city under Israeli occupation.