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Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat speaking in a televised address on Sunday.
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| By israelinsider staff December 16, 2001 |
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Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, in a televised address to his people, called for a cease-fire in general and, for the first time, suicide operations in particular. But he stopped short of calling for an end to the fifteen-month intifada, as some observers had expected. Senior Israeli officials, who less than a week ago had declared Arafat "no longer relevant," were skeptical about the speech. Earlier in the day, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres had called for deeds, not words, from Arafat.
"I today reiterate (my call for) the complete and immediate cessation of all military activities. I renew the call to completely halt any activities, especially suicide attacks which we have condemned and always condemned," Arafat said.
Arafat called for national unity in decision-making, and threatened those who did not accept an end to violence. "We will punish all planners and executors...and we will hunt down the violators," Arafat said, adding that the Palestinian Authority "will only allow one authority on this land. "In this complicated conflict...we must not allow anyone to shake the credibility of the leadership and its decisions," he said.
The Palestinians, Arafat said, posed no threat to Israel's existence. "I renew my call to the people of Israel and to its political forces and institutions and government to immediately return to the negotiating table and to immediately work on ending these dangerous, racist measures against our people." He repeated his call for the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital beside the State of Israel.
Lowered expectations of Arafat among Israelis
Arab affairs analyst Ehud Yaari, speaking on Israel TV, compared Arafat's position to bin Laden's in Tora Bora. He said that Arafat, under intense international diplomatic pressure, and military pressure from Israel, was desperately appealing to Hamas and Islamic Jihad to restrain the suicide bombers and implying that if they cooperated he would include them in a more generous power-sharing arrangement in the next election.
Speculation over Arafat's message during the day had suggested that he would announce the official end of the armed Intifada, or at least call on all Palestinian factions to honor the cease-fire and cease all forms of resistance. Palestinian sources insisted Arafat's announcement, broadcast in Arabic over Palestinian television and radio, would be different from previous statements in that it would clearly call to halt all violence against Israel, within the territories as well as in Israel proper.
But earlier in the day, Arafat lowered hopes that his goals had changed. Speaking at the conclusion of Eid el-Fitr prayers in Ramallah, Arafat reiterated his long-standing vision the Palestinian flag would yet fly from the mosques on the Temple Mount. "No one will succeed in removing us from our land, including Jerusalem, and the Palestinian flag will fly from the Temple Mount and from the churches of Jerusalem," he said.
Sources in the Foreign Ministry downplayed expectations of Arafat and his speech, saying that the Palestinian leader wasn't prone to making unequivocal pronouncements all that readily. Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres said, "There is only one way to judge what Arafat says and that is through the actions he takes."
PA closes Hamas, Islamic Jihad offices
Palestinian Authority security forces closed down some 15 offices of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The offices, which dealt with providing educational and welfare services to the Palestinian population, were located in Nablus, Kalkilya, Jenin and Hebron.
A senior PA police said that all the offices had been locked and barred. The PA reportedly took control of several Hamas-affiliated mosques as well, the Jerusalem Post reported. However, observers indicated that the offices were closed for the holiday anyway, and that the real test would come when the Palestinian population returns to work in several days.
To date, the PA has closed down over thirty offices. Despite this, the Palestinians have reportedly stopped arresting Hamas and Islamic Jihad members. Palestinian officials claim they cannot send security personnel to make arrests when their officers are being targeted by IDF gunfire and while their police buildings are being bombed, Ha'aretz reported.
West Bank Preventive Security Chief Jabril Rajoub said the Palestinians wanted to act against extremist groups, but Israeli actions were preventing them. "Most of our police stations have been destroyed," he said in a weekend interview with the New York Times. "How can we act? Our capabilities are very limited. It's like a saying in the Koran: Handcuff his arms and legs and throw him in the sea, and expect him to swim."
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