Despite telling CNN yesterday that he wants peace with his Jewish ‘cousins’ in Israel, Yasser Arafat once again, in Arabic, called on “one million martyrs” to march to Jerusalem. Arafat made his comments to a crowd of Arabs during a visit to PLO controlled Shechem. Yesterday was the first time that Arafat left Ramallah in almost six months. Israel had confined Arafat to the city following a wave of PLO initiated terrorism. During his Shechem visit Arafat also vowed to continue his battle towards the “liberation” of Jerusalem from Israeli control.
Yesterday Arafat also visited the PLO controlled towns of Bethlehem and Jenin. In Jenin Arafat cancelled a planned visit to the neighborhood, in which the fiercest battles took place between IDF forces and Arab gunmen during Operation Defensive Shield. Analysts say that the visit was cancelled out of security concerns since some Jenin members of the Islamic Jihad gang had expressed disappointment in Arafat’s leadership.
Yesterday Arafat also visited the PLO controlled towns of Bethlehem and Jenin. In Jenin Arafat cancelled a planned visit to the neighborhood, in which the fiercest battles took place between IDF forces and Arab gunmen during Operation Defensive Shield. Analysts say that the visit was cancelled out of security concerns since some Jenin members of the Islamic Jihad gang had expressed disappointment in Arafat’s leadership.