U.S. warns Israel off Arafat as Abbas quits

Haaretz ^ | 09-07-03

[Brian S]

U.S. warns Israel off Arafat as Abbas quits

_{By Aluf Benn and Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondents}

The United States has told Israel it expects "no surprises" regarding Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat following the resignation
of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday.

Abbas submitted his resignation in a power struggle with Yasser Arafat, dealing what could be a fatal blow to the U.S.'s road map for peace. Abbas's aides said he was bitter over his failure to carry out reforms and implement peace steps and was determined not to return.

It was not clear Saturday whether Arafat would accept Abbas's resignation, as he does not wish to be blamed for the road map's collapse and expose himself to Israel's threats of expulsion. However, Arafat did announce a caretaker cabinet, triggering off speculation as to whom his candidate for prime minister would be.

The White House on Saturday urged Israel to keep a cool head after Abbas's resignation and the Israeli missile strike in Gaza that wounded Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. "We are following events in the region closely and our representatives are in touch with all concerned parties," a White House spokesman said.

"At this critical moment, it is important that all parties consider carefully the consequences of their actions," the statement added.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Saturday he did not expect Arafat to be expelled at this time. Sharon intends to discuss the proposals to expel Arafat, as he has done in the past, but will take into account the Americans' objection to an Israeli move against the PA chairman for fear of the regional consequences.

Israel made it clear after Abbas's resignation that it would not hold talks with Arafat or any prime minister he appoints. Defense Minister
Shaul Mofaz said that in principle, it would be better if Arafat were out of the territories, but did not suggest expelling him right now.

The U.S. said it expected Israel to uphold the understanding that any Israeli move "to take care of" Arafat was taken only after consultation between Jerusalem and Washington.

The Arafat issue was the main focus of the talks held by Sharon's bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington. Weisglass told his hosts that Arafat systematically and brutally undermined Abbas and was a growing obstruction to the road map. He said that as long as Arafat was there, the PA would not have a serious prime minister and the Palestinian security forces would not act in unison against terrorism.

However, diplomatic sources in Jerusalem said Weisglass did not ask the Americans for a green light to expel Arafat from the territories.

The American officials made it clear that the U.S. still adhered to the road map as the way to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Without raising objections to the Israel Defense Forces activity in the territories, Rice and Powell insisted that Israel take care not to harm innocent Palestinian citizens. The U.S. administration asked Israel to consider its steps carefully to make sure they do not damage "the overall picture."

A senior cabinet source said Saturday that the IDF would continue acting against Hamas and its leaders, in keeping with the security cabinet's decision of August 20, after the suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem.

[The Westerner]

Pointy-browed Powell needs to go. But Bush can't risk losing him before an election. Being a pragmatist,Bush has few firm principles that guide him politically. That's why he's so hard to pinpoint. If he had principles, he would have applied his famous terrorism declaration to our close friend Israel.

[FlyVet]

... because there is something EVIL going on in Washington DC. Only a FOOL could not see your point of comparison as reasonable...

I throw my hands in the air, because I don't know what else to conclude either. Arafat should have been worm food 20 years ago. For him to be alive, is EVIL. There is a SICKNESS in Washington.

[Jumper]

The Sunday Night National broadcast/speech by President Bush will "address" what American and the World will come to expect from him on these issues. Only two choices, either withdraw from or confront Terrorism. I think he and we will stay the course and turn up the pressure on Iran, Sryia, Arafat and North Korea. France is the main diplomatic problem and should be exposed for her alignment with these Axis of Evil participants for they could not continue with promises from Europe and Russia (both wish for the seventies again!).

[Jumper]

Sort of.... but you are very badly mistaken about the laws and, yes - boy Clinton did break them but then the war with Yugo was also a break from the 1947 Genva Conventions on War as well.

[Jumper]

Actually, the foreign service is full of career employees all the way up to the Ambassador level. But a quick check of appointments to ambassador will show that a career employee is never appointed to our most important diplomatic posts; we are guilty diplomatically of the same folly the Europeans have always been with military appointments (the rich and friends of the leadership). Each administration appoints their own ambassadors, usually because these people want a title - in the US the only titles of royality are Ambassadorships and Military Officers (ask the diplomats of world).

Our foreign policy suffers mainly because of the disconnect between the professional DOS employees and the appointees, of which Powell can be counted amongst!

[sully777]

Jordan destroyed the PLO in the early-mid 70's after PLO tried to overthrow kingdom. The PLO almost destroyed Lebanon prior to the Israeli invasion; Israel stopped PLO's influence in Lebanese civil war thus cutting it short. Tunisia couldn't get rid of the PLO any faster. The PLO played an important role in Saddam's initial attack on Kuwait. The PLO danced in the streets of Gaza, et al when the Scuds hit Tel Aviv. The PLO danced in the streets on 9-11-01.

The man in charge of the PLO? General Yassar "My Boy Lollipop" Arafat.

Bush41, Clinton, and Bush43 memoes to Israel: Deal with Arafat as a statesman and an equal or else! By the way, we're giving him your land. Thanks for all your help. Love ya babe. Let's do lunch in Norway again Peres. Ciao.

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

The United States has told Israel it expects "no surprises" regarding Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat following the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday.

Our own country (rightly) refused to conform the dictates of its rightful security needs to the "expectations" of other countries (France, etc.).

Unless the blood of an Israeli Jew is somehow inherently less precious than that of an American citizen: there are no legitimate moral grounds upon which the U.S. can "insist" upon any action or non-action, so long as the citizens of Israel remain under attack by an enemy publicly sworn to butcher them all, down to the last child.

The leaders of Israel must --must! -- do anything and everything necessary, in order to safeguard its people.

The latter have a God-given right to live, unharmed and free; and the former, a sacred obligation to safeguard said right.

[stlnative]

The U.S. said it expected Israel to uphold the understanding that any Israeli move "to take care of" Arafat was taken only after consultation between Jerusalem and Washington.

You are so right... The Prez needs to know beforehand what is going to go down, we also have to prepare. I'd say all the Prez needs is a 10 or 5 minute notice on the phone before the boiling begins of RAT & FAT and the reporters start rushing in to get it on live TV.

[TomGuy]

Rice and Powell insisted that Israel take care not to harm innocent Palestinian citizens.

But a busload of Israeli men, women and children are fair game for a Arafat-backed homicide bomber?

Rise and Powell need to kindly butt out and let Israel get rid of the cockroach infestation once and for all.

[Diogenesis]

To whom is American and Israeli blood flowing in the streets "a good thing".

[Paul_B]

The good thing here, in a lousy situation, is that the RoadMap is being exposed for the idiocy it is, sans genuine Pal participation; and Bush's Pal policy for what it is: appeasement.

[jwin]

The US Administration. Is that the clowns in the State Department??

[aimhigh]

The Bible tells us that nations are judged according to how they judge Israel. This artible explains why we can't take out Osama or Saddam. We won't let Israel take out Arafat, so God won't let us take out our enemies.

[Jeff Head]

If all that happened...look for things to go WAY south in the Far East as well.

I'm afraid everyone would jump on the band wagon precisely because of what you have mentioned...which is the exact premise of my novel series.

[Salem]

"Shalom, George."

"Howdy, Arik. What's up?"

"We're going boil Arafat alive in a tub of bacon fat."

"Have fun."

Haaaaaaa, haaaa!!

Yer' funny!  

[LinuxRocks]

And in case some of us don't know or forgot, he ordered the death of two American diplomats in the 70's. The NSA has him on tape giving the order.

What I fail to understand is why our gov't tries to coddle and protect this criminal. Our protection of this worthless piece of garbage has got to have something to do with Saudis. Arafat is a worthless piece of garbage and somebody needs to take him out. What are we saying here? "Careful Israel, you might actually piss some Arabs off if you take him out. SO WHAT...they are killing busloads of childredn, I don't mind pissing them off.

[Scott from the Left Coast]

It is that kind of hubris that results in the destruction of societies (in this case our own). We are going conquer and hold a population exceeding one billion and spanning 7,000 miles (millions of square miles) east to west with a total land force (U.S. and Israel combined) of some 900,000 soldiers?

Our hands are entirely full right now with Iraq and Afghanistan, and neither is finished yet to the point where forces can be drawn down. If we lost the assistance of the Gulf States, Pakistan, and, yes even the Saudi bastards (who are still pumping oil), and they actively opposed us we would not be able to maintain our current position let alone take on a new war against Egypt, Syria, Iran, Algeria, Libya, Jordan, Indonesia and those former "allies" at the same time. And hello, what side do you think that France, Germany, Russia and China would be on?

[Vaduz]

Yes tits up

[Salem]

Note KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle's comments. Waxing on the side of outright logic and moral clarity, and clear analytical, critical thinking. Would to G-d George and our foreign policy wonks would do the same, huh? Hmmm....

Kent's comments in post 67

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[Alouette]

the blood of an Israeli Jew is somehow inherently less precious than that of an American citizen

Hamas has also murdered American citizens, both Jews and Christians