Several polls taken over the past few days show that an overwhelming majority of Israelis do not support a meeting between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO leader Yasser Arafat. A Channel Two poll reported on last night showed that 85% of those polled objected to such a meeting. Similarly a self-selected poll on the Israeli MSN website indicated that more than 76% of 7000 respondents voted against the meeting.
Irrespective of Israeli public sentiment in the matter, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that calling off the meeting, as happened yesterday, could lead to an increase in terrorist attacks. Media reports indicated that the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in an attempt to pressure him to allow the Peres-Arafat meeting. According to Knesset Member Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu), “the only person in the Bush Administration pushing for a meeting between Peres and Arafat is Colin Powell. There is no American pressure for a meeting.” The Prime Minister\'s Office also has denied that there is any American pressure. Shimon Peres, on the other hand, has publicly taken the opposite tack.
According to MK Hendel, “There never was such a high level of sympathy for the State of Israel in Congress and in the American media as there is today. Whoever says that there is American pressure is lying.” Hendel believes that the meeting would only cause tremendous damage to Israel and prevent it from acting to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. “We all know that the overwhelming majority is against Peres. Even at the Labor Party meeting today everyone criticized him,” said Hendel.
Irrespective of Israeli public sentiment in the matter, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that calling off the meeting, as happened yesterday, could lead to an increase in terrorist attacks. Media reports indicated that the U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in an attempt to pressure him to allow the Peres-Arafat meeting. According to Knesset Member Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu), “the only person in the Bush Administration pushing for a meeting between Peres and Arafat is Colin Powell. There is no American pressure for a meeting.” The Prime Minister\'s Office also has denied that there is any American pressure. Shimon Peres, on the other hand, has publicly taken the opposite tack.
According to MK Hendel, “There never was such a high level of sympathy for the State of Israel in Congress and in the American media as there is today. Whoever says that there is American pressure is lying.” Hendel believes that the meeting would only cause tremendous damage to Israel and prevent it from acting to dismantle the Palestinian Authority. “We all know that the overwhelming majority is against Peres. Even at the Labor Party meeting today everyone criticized him,” said Hendel.