The Fifth Foe

Israel is involved in a war of attrition with four neighbors--Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon--that confront it on three sides. When all the fronts are active, life can be hectic for the Israelis. Last week was such an occasion.

Aside from acts of sabotage by terrorists within Israel, there were exchanges of fire along the Suez Canal that killed two Israeli soldiers and wounded eleven. Israeli commandos also staged a swift raid on Egyptian units across the canal, and reported killing eight men while losing two. Israeli regulars and Arab guerrillas fought a series of skirmishes along Israel's border with both Lebanon and Syria. Israel admitted suffering two dead and 13 wounded but claimed seven more enemy casualties. Twice on the Jordanian front, Israelis spotted guerrilla ambushes and broke them up with shellfire.

As if four foes were not enough, Israel may soon have to worry about a reinvigorated fifth. Iraq has no contiguous border with Israel, but its fanatically anti-Israel Baathist government maintains an 18,000-man expeditionary force in Jordan and Syria. The Baathists might have sent more troops but for the fact that the Iraqi army has been preoccupied for nearly nine years with rebellious Kurd tribesmen. The Kurds, who occupy most of the northern quarter of Iraq with an army of 10,000 men, have been demanding autonomy. Last week, convinced that the endless war was futile, Lieut. General Ahmed Hassan Bakr, Iraq's President, granted the country's 1,500,000 Kurds most of what they wanted.

Under terms of the agreement, the Kurds will govern their own territory and send delegates to the next Parliament. The Kurdish language will enjoy official status along with Arabic. "This is no temporary armistice," said Bakr. "This is a complete political and constitutional settlement of all existing problems, and it will prevail forever." In Iraq, forever may not mean all it appears to. A 1966 truce between the government and Kurds proved short-lived when Baghdad reneged on its promises.

If the settlement lasts, however, Israel may be in for more trouble. One consequence, Radio Baghdad noted last week, is that the government can now mobilize "Iraq's entire potential for the battle of Palestine."

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