The prestigious New York Times has published an op-ed written by PLO chief Yasser Arafat. The article, which appeared today, begins, \"For the past 16 months, Israelis and Palestinians have been locked in a catastrophic cycle of violence...\" The word \"cycle\" may be designed to distract readers\' attention from the fact that the violence was pre-meditatedly initiated by the Palestinians at the express orders of Yasser Arafat himself, as many Israeli security leaders have stated frequently since then.
Arafat\'s second paragraph begins, \"But first, let me be very clear. I condemn that attacks carried out by terrorist groups against Israeli civilians. These groups do not represent the Palestinian people... I am determined to put an end to their activities.\" This, too, stands in stark contrast to many public statements uttered by the PA chairman very recently. For instance, speaking to a delegation of Arab leaders that was broadcast on official PA Television this past January 26, Arafat said,
\"Yes, brothers, with our souls and blood we redeem you, O Palestine. This is the decision of the people of exceeding strength. This is a sacred bond. We are up to this duty. You know I am saying this because I know our people. I know what it means that in the midst of this economic crisis, yet none of them complained. However, they said: Allah is great! Glory to Allah and his prophet! Jihad, jihad, jihad, jihad, jihad!\"
Arafat\'s second paragraph begins, \"But first, let me be very clear. I condemn that attacks carried out by terrorist groups against Israeli civilians. These groups do not represent the Palestinian people... I am determined to put an end to their activities.\" This, too, stands in stark contrast to many public statements uttered by the PA chairman very recently. For instance, speaking to a delegation of Arab leaders that was broadcast on official PA Television this past January 26, Arafat said,
\"Yes, brothers, with our souls and blood we redeem you, O Palestine. This is the decision of the people of exceeding strength. This is a sacred bond. We are up to this duty. You know I am saying this because I know our people. I know what it means that in the midst of this economic crisis, yet none of them complained. However, they said: Allah is great! Glory to Allah and his prophet! Jihad, jihad, jihad, jihad, jihad!\"