A ‘lonely’ Israel keeps on fighting
Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou canceled plans to visit Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat in Ramallah this week after he received strong warnings from Israel that it could not guarantee his safety in the combat zone, the Israeli ambassador to Athens said yesterday. The minister instead decided to travel to Egypt last night on a one-day visit for high-level talks on the Middle East crisis with President Hosni Mubarak and Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa. «No one has forbidden the foreign minister to visit Yasser Arafat. We simply explained to him the situation, and we explained to him that under this situation it will be very hard to secure his security in the area,» Israeli Ambassador David Sasson told reporters in his office on embassy grounds. «He understood that under the circumstances it is almost impossible, not because we don’t want or we won’t, but it is almost impossible to secure his security by going to Ramallah. Let’s say that it was a co-understanding of both sides that in this visit we wouldn’t be able to help.» Asked by reporters to further elaborate the reasons behind the trip’s cancellation, the Israeli ambassador explained that Ramallah is a war zone. «This is an area where shooting takes place. How can someone responsible take responsibility for moving a minister to see Arafat?» Sasson remarked. «How can someone cross this fighting area? We can ask our people to hold their fire, but what about the other side? What about any saboteur that may use it as a provocation?» Sasson met with Papandreou yesterday at the Foreign Ministry right after the news briefing, at the invitation of the latter. The Greek government has grown alarmed by the ongoing house arrest of the Palestinian leader in Ramallah – where he is surrounded by Israeli tanks and troops – and has made repeated calls to the Israeli government to guarantee the safety of Arafat. «In these difficult hours, I call on the Israeli government to respect the UN Security Council Resolution calling for the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Ramallah, to guarantee the life and security of the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and to lift the blockade,» Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis said in a statement on Sunday. Concerns over the latest developments were also voiced by the foreign minister, Parliament Speaker Apostolos Kaklamanis and all party leaders. Sasson declared that Israel understands that there is a «pro-Arab» sentiment in Greece, but reassured that Israel has no interest in killing Arafat. «The Greek stance is influenced by sympathy or pro-Arab sentiment that exists in this country,» Sasson said. «Israel has no interest in harming Yasser Arafat. It is our strategic interest.» The Israeli diplomat explained further that although Papandreou canceled his trip to Ramallah, the Israeli side has reiterated that he is always welcome to visit Israel at any time. «More importantly, we told him more than once that he is more than welcome and he is a desirable personality to come to Israel,» he noted. Asked by a reporter to name a few of Israel’s closest allies that are standing firmly behind Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s war against Arafat, the Israeli envoy acknowledged that they stand alone – aside from the steady support of Washington. «We are very alone and very lonely, but this is our destiny as Jews,» Sasson remarked. Israel appears to have lost the support of some of its closest allies in the region over the past three days, ever since the Israeli forces launched an assault against Arafat’s compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah, damaging buildings, killing and injuring several of his guards, and isolating him inside one remaining building. Turkey, Israel’s main regional ally since 1996 when the two countries signed a military cooperation deal, yesterday condemned Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian leader, warning its strategy could backfire and lead to more terrorist attacks. «Arafat is the president of a state Turkey recognizes. We do not accept and strongly condemn the Israeli government’s treatment of him,» Turkish Foreign Minister Ismail Cem said in a statement. Criticism and concern have also been voiced by the European Union and the Arab League, which only last Thursday adopted a Saudi peace initiative that would normalize relations between Israel and all Arab countries. Iran’s foreign minister called yesterday for Islamic nations to sever ties with Israel and halt all negotiations with Sharon’s government, while Jordan, one of only three Arab League member states to have forged a peace treaty with Israel, was yesterday considering expelling the Israeli envoy from the country. At the same time, thousands of protesters took to the streets in several Arab countries voicing support for the Palestinians. Some 10,000 protesters marched in the streets of Alexandria in Egypt, while four rallies were held in Jordan. The Israeli envoy justified Israel’s latest actions in Ramallah by declaring that it was not a response to the adoption of the Saudi peace initiative by the Arab League, but rather a continuous fight against terrorism. «What Israel is doing these days in Ramallah and other territories is a fight against terror. We have nothing against the Palestinians, we don’t want to harm the Palestinians, but we have a lot against terror and we decided to fight terror up to the root,» Sasson noted, stressing that he believed «the fight against terror is an issue for the entire free world; it is not only our own business.» Responding to a question of why the Israeli forces continue to occupy Arafat’s compound in Ramallah, the Israeli ambassador declared that the soldiers had discovered munition depots within the compound and explosives used in suicide attacks. «We are in those seven buildings because what we found there can equip a small army,» Sasson said. «What we found there are rockets, explosive material, explosive belts and many more. The reason why we are there is because some of the most wanted commanders of the terrorist organizations are taking shelter inside or under the umbrella of Yasser Arafat.» The Israeli envoy also brushed aside reports that Arafat is isolated in a building with no functioning utilities and his much-needed medicine, saying that this is just Palestinian propaganda. «He has water, he has food and he has medicine. Please stop quoting these myths which are not true. I know these are spread by the Palestinians in order to attract more sympathy from public opinion, but it is not true,» Sasson said. He also denied a report by Al Jazeera, the Arab satellite television channel, that 30 Palestinian policemen were executed in cold blood by Israeli forces, saying that «it’s a lie… no 30 Palestinians were killed last night, and that is a fact.» The Israeli diplomat acknowledged, though, that Arafat remains the leader of the Palestinian people and that Israel shall continue to deal with him in the future. «If the Palestinians chose to put Mr Arafat as their leader then we shall continue to deal with him. This is a fact,» Sasson declared.
