The Israel Defense Force appears determined to break down the few non-violent manifestations of the intifada.
A priority mission now is putting an end to a tax strike being staged by residents of the largely Arab-Christian town of Beit Sahur in the West Bank.
The strike, which has lasted for more than a month, is challenging Israeli authority in the area and depriving the Treasury of legitimate revenue.
The residents of Beit Sahur say that they are not receiving services from the Israeli government commensurate with the amount of taxes they paid, and therefore have been withholding their revenues from tax collectors.
The strike reflects a shift in the allegiances of the people of Beit Sahur. Until very recently a somewhat compliant population, the residents of this Christian town now voice their loyalty to the Palestinian cause.
The Palestinians regard Beit Sahur as a symbol of non-violent defiance in the uprising against Israel.
There appears to be no signs of wavering, despite the isolation of the town which Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin has imposed and the confiscation of business and personal property in lieu of the unpaid taxes.
Rabin wishes to stop Beit Sahur from becoming a Palestinian symbol.
Beit Sahur’s predicament has also sparked sympathy within some segments of Israeli society.
On Thursday, the IDF declared the town and nearby Bethlehem a closed military zone, to prevent a solidarity demonstration at the entrance to Beit Sahur by about 50 peace activists from Jerusalem.
The IDF also circulated leaflets of its own Thursday, warning the residents of continued pressure until they pay the taxes due.
Several townspeople have been detained, and close to a million dollars in property have been confiscated and will be sold at auction next week.
In Jerusalem, meanwhile, Police Minister Haim Bar-Lev announced “some progress” in the ongoing investigation into the wave of arson against Jewish-owned vehicles in the capital.
He said several very small terrorist cells, of two to three people each, are responsible for this.
Bar-Lev said certain measures used in the administered territories to quell disturbances cannot be employed in Jerusalem.
“Jerusalem is not the territories. Jerusalem is sovereign Israel, where the Israeli law is in force. And according to Israeli law, if somebody puts a mask on his face, this is not yet a reason to be fired at,” Bar-Lev said.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
