Daily Alert Archives

Understanding Arafat Before His Attempted Rehabilitation

(Institute for Contemporary Affairs/Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) Lt. Col. Jonathan D. Halevi- The internal crisis in the Palestinian Authority over the leadership of Yasser Arafat has resulted in renewed efforts on his part to present himself at the end of the day as the only realistic partner for moving forward in the peace process. Arafat's hope for rehabilitation has many sources. According to diplomatic officials, the Quartet is thinking of reintroducing Arafat into Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations after the U.S. elections, despite longstanding U.S. and Israeli opposition to such a move. French President Jacques Chirac noted at a June NATO summit that Arafat was "probably the only person who could impose compromise on the Palestinian people." Furthermore, former President Bill Clinton told the Guardian on 20 June 2004 that Arafat is so influential in the Palestinian territories that America and Israel have no choice but to work with him if they want Mideast peace. However, what emerges from a careful analysis of his statements since the outbreak of Palestinian violence in September 2000 is that Arafat has not abandoned his aspirations to bring about the destruction of the State of Israel, and he continues to view demographics as a prime vehicle for achieving this goal. Incorporating Arafat in the peace process will likely produce again the same negative consequences as were reached in the period from 1993 through 2000.
2004-08-17 00:00:00
Full Article