Oslo architect Yossi Beilin\'s visit with Yasser Arafat in Ramallah yesterday earned the former a lengthy interview spot on Israel\'s Channel One Television last night. Dr. Aaron Lerner of Independent Media Review and Analysis today summarized the main points made by Beilin during the interview:
*Arafat cannot be expected to order the Arabs to stop the violence since they will not honor his order to stop shooting.
*It was Ariel Sharon - by his visit to the Temple Mount last fall - who set off what the Arabs call the six month mini-war - dubbed by them as the\"Al Aqsa Intifada.\"
*PA Minister Falouji\'s statement in February that the PA prepared for the violence before the Sharon visit is false - he made the claim, says Beilin, since Falouji was formerly in Hamas and wished to embarrass the PA. (ed.: Following is an excerpt of the Falouji speech, courtesy of MEMRI: \"Whoever thinks that the Intifada broke out because of the despised Sharon\'s visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is wrong, even if this visit was the straw that broke the back of the Palestinian people. This Intifada was planned in advance, ever since President Arafat\'s return from the Camp David negotiations, where he turned the table upside down on President Clinton. [Arafat] remained steadfast and challenged [Clinton]. He rejected the American terms and he did it in the heart of the US.\")
*Ehud Barak made a mistake when he submitted a report to the Mitchell Committee that blamed the Palestinians for the violence rather than Ariel Sharon.
* Israel should resume full negotiations with the PLO while the violence continues. Arab violence may continue with the negotiations, with the violence ending along with \"progress\" in the negotiations.
* The Jordanian-Egyptian proposal (that would remove any restrictions on the PA so that it could more easily bring in more weapons and distribute them and make additional preparations for additional attacks against Israeli targets) should be accepted.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres last night said the latest proposal by senior PA official Ahmed Qeri - also known as \"Abu Alla\" - warranted consideration. At yesterday\'s Beilin-Arafat meeting, Qeri - who was also in attendance - called for a cessation of warfare in return for Israel relaxing all closures on PA areas. Although he also issued a call for the resumption of talks, senior Israeli government ministers have rejected what they view as just the latest PA ploy; they are insisting that the warfare come to an end unconditionally prior to Israel making any new \"gestures towards peace.\"
*Arafat cannot be expected to order the Arabs to stop the violence since they will not honor his order to stop shooting.
*It was Ariel Sharon - by his visit to the Temple Mount last fall - who set off what the Arabs call the six month mini-war - dubbed by them as the\"Al Aqsa Intifada.\"
*PA Minister Falouji\'s statement in February that the PA prepared for the violence before the Sharon visit is false - he made the claim, says Beilin, since Falouji was formerly in Hamas and wished to embarrass the PA. (ed.: Following is an excerpt of the Falouji speech, courtesy of MEMRI: \"Whoever thinks that the Intifada broke out because of the despised Sharon\'s visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is wrong, even if this visit was the straw that broke the back of the Palestinian people. This Intifada was planned in advance, ever since President Arafat\'s return from the Camp David negotiations, where he turned the table upside down on President Clinton. [Arafat] remained steadfast and challenged [Clinton]. He rejected the American terms and he did it in the heart of the US.\")
*Ehud Barak made a mistake when he submitted a report to the Mitchell Committee that blamed the Palestinians for the violence rather than Ariel Sharon.
* Israel should resume full negotiations with the PLO while the violence continues. Arab violence may continue with the negotiations, with the violence ending along with \"progress\" in the negotiations.
* The Jordanian-Egyptian proposal (that would remove any restrictions on the PA so that it could more easily bring in more weapons and distribute them and make additional preparations for additional attacks against Israeli targets) should be accepted.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres last night said the latest proposal by senior PA official Ahmed Qeri - also known as \"Abu Alla\" - warranted consideration. At yesterday\'s Beilin-Arafat meeting, Qeri - who was also in attendance - called for a cessation of warfare in return for Israel relaxing all closures on PA areas. Although he also issued a call for the resumption of talks, senior Israeli government ministers have rejected what they view as just the latest PA ploy; they are insisting that the warfare come to an end unconditionally prior to Israel making any new \"gestures towards peace.\"