(Jerusalem Post) - "I believe that we made many mistakes, starting from the beginning of the intifada," Arafat deputy Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) told journalists in his home in Ramallah. He said he personally believes Palestinians should have refrained from using firearms or shooting at Israeli targets from populated areas. "The mistakes reflected the state of chaos prevailing on the ground. Now, after all that has happened, we say: Enough is enough, we want to tell the whole world that we are against the killing of civilians, be they Israelis or Palestinians....It's time to abandon all forms of violence and armed groups." Abbas is widely regarded as a candidate to succeed Arafat and is believed to have the backing of many senior Fatah leaders for the proposed position of prime minister, aimed at reducing Arafat's power.
2002-09-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive