Following a meeting in Washington yesterday with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer told reporters that he is calling upon the US to begin a dialogue with senior PLO officials as an alternative to Yasser Arafat. Ben-Eliezer suggested that Abu Ala, Abu Mazen, Jibril Rajoub, and others may be suitable “peace partners.”
The Defense Minister traveled to New York yesterday afternoon and met with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Ben-Eliezer told Annan that Arafat was no longer a partner and was not committed to efforts to achieve an agreement with Israel.
Despite the evidence that UN officials withheld information about the abduction of three Israeli soldiers in October, 2000, Ben-Eliezer thanked Annan for what he called “his most recent efforts on behalf of the three” kidnapped Israeli soldiers. The two also discussed the growing Iranian threat in the region.
The Defense Minister traveled to New York yesterday afternoon and met with United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Ben-Eliezer told Annan that Arafat was no longer a partner and was not committed to efforts to achieve an agreement with Israel.
Despite the evidence that UN officials withheld information about the abduction of three Israeli soldiers in October, 2000, Ben-Eliezer thanked Annan for what he called “his most recent efforts on behalf of the three” kidnapped Israeli soldiers. The two also discussed the growing Iranian threat in the region.