Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today that Yasser Arafat will be allowed to leave Israel once the Tenet Agreement has begun to be implemented. Speaking at a joint press conference with US Vice President Cheney, who is completing a 21-hour visit to Israel this morning, Sharon was then asked if Arafat would also be allowed to return to the autonomous areas. The Prime Minister said that if Arafat is allowed to fly to Beirut for the Arab League conference, \"I hope and expect to hear him give a speech calling for peace and reconciliation\" - but if instead of that, Sharon said, there is incitement and terrorism, then the Cabinet will have to decide how to react.
Sharon was also asked the following: \"The government said that the goal of its campaign against terrorism was to get the PA to ask for a ceasefire; but now, the one asking for a ceasefire is Israel. Does this indicate that the Israeli anti-terrorism offensives failed?\" Sharon responded that the campaign produced many great successes, and that he would expect Israeli media and particularly IDF Army to emphasize these, instead of looking for the shortcomings.
Sharon was also asked the following: \"The government said that the goal of its campaign against terrorism was to get the PA to ask for a ceasefire; but now, the one asking for a ceasefire is Israel. Does this indicate that the Israeli anti-terrorism offensives failed?\" Sharon responded that the campaign produced many great successes, and that he would expect Israeli media and particularly IDF Army to emphasize these, instead of looking for the shortcomings.