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Egyptian President Mubarak and DM Ben-Eliezer agreed to a 'pilot' program in Gaza, but disagreed on the future role of Yasser Arafat. (AP)
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| By Ellis Shuman July 16, 2002 |
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Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told visiting Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer yesterday that Egypt would support a "Gaza first" plan to reduce violence in Palestinian-controlled areas. The plan calls for Israel to ease Palestinian conditions in Gaza, and if terror activities there stop, the plan would be implemented elsewhere. Mubarak and Ben-Eliezer did not reach agreement on the future role of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
"Gaza will serve as a test case for the Palestinians," Ben-Eliezer told Yediot Aharonot. He added that Mubarak pledged to help the plan succeed, and would work to restrain terrorist activities in the Gaza Strip.
"Egypt will get involved in the process. Egypt will try to take a hand in this pilot [program] in one of the areas and will work with all its might to reduce terrorism," Ben-Eliezer said.
"This is a constructive plan," Mubarak told a reporter from Maariv. "This is definitely a proposal that can be put on the negotiations table and when there are mutual concessions, we will be able to make progress."
Egyptian Intelligence Chief Gen. Omar Suleiman will reportedly serve as an envoy between Israel and the Palestinians to promote the "Gaza first" plan and to work for a resumption of negotiations between the sides. Suleiman reportedly also helped arrange last week's meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres and newly appointed Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razek al-Yehiye and Finance Minister Salam Faiad.
No agreement that Arafat is the "main problem"
Ben-Eliezer was unable to convince Mubarak that Arafat would never act to restrain Palestinian terrorism, and therefore the sides should work to replace him. "I explained to President [Mubarak] that Yasser Arafat was and remains the main problem."
Mubarak said that he understands the suffering of the Palestinian people and repeated his position that Arafat is the leader of the Palestinians. "We disagree with Israel regarding Arafat. But we have to find a formula to proceed without harming Arafat," he told Israeli reporters.
Mubarak reportedly asked Ben-Eliezer who he thought could replace Arafat. According to media reports, Mubarak named Arafat's deputy Abu Mazen, and senior negotiators Saeb Erekat and Nabil Shaath as possible future Palestinian leaders. Erekat was in Alexandria yesterday and met with Mubarak as well. Mubarak gave Erekat a message for Arafat, but Palestinian officials did not reveal its content.
"I told him that we are not going to give birth to a leadership," Ben-Eliezer said. "The leadership exists. You have to ignore Arafat and encourage them."
Ben-Eliezer added that "Mubarak understands that the concern today is for regional security and stability, and that Arafat can undermine this stability. It is better to outflank this problem and find someone who can be accepted by Palestinians, by us, by the Arab world, to try to reach a breakthrough and change the situation."
Maariv reported that Ben-Eliezer spoke to Mubarak about the threat of additional suicide bombers that Israel was facing. "This may be classified, but there are 12 more poised to... the cities of Israel," Ben-Eliezer told foreign reporters.
According to media reports, Ben-Eliezer thanked Mubarak for Egypt's help in the uncovering of tunnels used for smuggling arms from Egypt to the Palestinian Authority in the Rafiah area of the Gaza Strip.
Ha'aretz reported that Ben-Eliezer warned Mubarak that Hizbullah was dragging Israel into a war with Syria. Ben-Eliezer reportedly asked the Egyptian president to relay Israel's demand for a reduction of violence on the northern border to the Syrians.
The meeting in Alexandria was Ben-Eliezer's second with Mubarak. According to media analysts, the Egyptians invited Ben-Eliezer because they wanted to encourage Labor Party leaders who openly call for negotiations with the Palestinians after the wave of terror is stopped. Transportation Minister Ephraim Sneh was in Cairo last week, and Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg visited Egypt this week.
Despite Mubarak's warm welcome for Ben-Eliezer, no Israeli flags were to be seen in Alexandria's Ras e-Tin palace. Mubarak and Ben-Eliezer held separate press conferences after their meeting. Maariv reported that only twenty Israeli reporters were allowed to talk with the Egyptian president, and no explanation was given why others were forced to remain outside the hall.
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