Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose trip to Washington was pushed off from last night to this morning, will not meet with US President Bush before Tuesday. The two will be discussing the resumption of diplomatic negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians following Operation Defensive Shield, although the exact details are unclear. It is widely assumed that the influence of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, whom Bush hosted at his Texas ranch ten days ago, will be felt in the talks.
Although Sharon\'s attitude towards Arafat is well-known - his government has labeled Arafat “irrelevant” and a “master terrorist,” and Sharon has often said that no agreement can be made with Arafat - media reports are that President Bush will try to convince Sharon to renew contact with the PLO leader. Sharon will defend his anti-Arafat position by presenting the Americans with a thick booklet of documents directly linking Arafat to many deadly attacks against Israelis.
Recent disclosures of Arafat\'s terrorist connections \"render absurd the public and international debate over whether Arafat is \'doing everything possible to prevent terrorism,\" the Prime Minister\'s Office announced on Friday, as it is now clear that he indeed did \'everything possible\' to promote, not prevent, terrorism. Sharon is reported to be willing to agree to a Palestinian state without defined borders, on the condition that Arafat has no part in it.
Sharon will also be meeting with other top US government officials including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice. Sharon will meet as well with top representatives from the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby, and will appear before the Anti-Defamation league.
Although Sharon\'s attitude towards Arafat is well-known - his government has labeled Arafat “irrelevant” and a “master terrorist,” and Sharon has often said that no agreement can be made with Arafat - media reports are that President Bush will try to convince Sharon to renew contact with the PLO leader. Sharon will defend his anti-Arafat position by presenting the Americans with a thick booklet of documents directly linking Arafat to many deadly attacks against Israelis.
Recent disclosures of Arafat\'s terrorist connections \"render absurd the public and international debate over whether Arafat is \'doing everything possible to prevent terrorism,\" the Prime Minister\'s Office announced on Friday, as it is now clear that he indeed did \'everything possible\' to promote, not prevent, terrorism. Sharon is reported to be willing to agree to a Palestinian state without defined borders, on the condition that Arafat has no part in it.
Sharon will also be meeting with other top US government officials including Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice. Sharon will meet as well with top representatives from the pro-Israel AIPAC lobby, and will appear before the Anti-Defamation league.