[Peace-discuss] US/Israel on Arafat (fwd)

[C. G. Estabrook]

[Apropos of Al's comments last night on the Israeli government's threats
against Arafat, the following comes from <worldtribune.com> (a not very
reliable source that you can read about in the current New Yorker), but it
may be accurate.  --CGE]

U.S. stopped Israeli raid to seize Arafat 

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Monday, September 15, 2003

The United States has prevented Israel's military from capturing the
headquarters of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.

U.S. government sources said the Bush administration sent a harsh message
to Israel to suspend plans to capture Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah
over the weekend. The sources said the had military planned to raid the
so-called Muqata'a on late Friday and capture Arafat.

Both Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser
Condoleezza Rice telephoned Israeli and PA leaders and warned Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to suspend the military plans, Middle East
Newsline reported.

The U.S. sources said the Bush administration was alarmed by the Israeli
entry into Ramallah on Thursday. An Israeli military force captured a PA
ministry about 300 meters from Arafat's headquarters and established a
command post for the capture of the Muqata'a.  

At that point, the sources said, the administration was informed by the
CIA that Israel planned to imminently capture Arafat's headquarters and
seize the PA chairman. They said Israel planned to exile Arafat to a
distant Arab country.

"The United States does not support either the elimination or the exile of
Mr. Arafat," Powell said. "It is not our position and the Israeli
government knows this. There would be rage in the Arab world and the
Muslim world. And I don't see this moving forward the roadmap."

Powell and Rice sent Israel a message, the sources said, that the United
States regards any move to exile Arafat as harmful to Washington's
interests in the Middle East, including the roadmap for a Palestinian
state. At the same time, U.S. ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer met
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and warned of an international backlash to
Arafat's exile.

The sources said the U.S. pressure worked and by Saturday Mofaz ordered
the withdrawal of the Israeli military force from Ramallah. At the same
time, Powell telephoned PA International Cooperation Minister Nabil Shaath
and pledged that Washington will continue to ensure that Arafat is not
harmed.

	-30-