(Updated Thursday 9:45 AM) The White House yesterday condemned Israel’s decision to shut down the offices of Yasser Arafat’s man in Jerusalem, Al-Quds University President, Sari Nusseibeh. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that while Israel’s recent actions such as easing closures on PA residents and removing Yesha outputs were positive, he dubbed yesterday’s move, “counterproductive”. While many have labeled Nusseibeh a “moderate”, including Foreign Minister Shimon Peres who recently praised Nusseibeh as being \"courageous\", The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) says that Nusseibeh is anything but moderate.
According to the ZOA, Nusseibeh has been a longtime supporter of violence against Israel. ZOA president Morton Klein says, \"Sari Nusseibeh is an extremist in moderate clothing. He has always supported violence against Israel, he spied for Saddam during the Gulf War (as reported yesterday by Arutz Sheva), and he called America\'s liberation of Kuwait an attempt by ‘the forces of aggression’ to ‘humiliate the Arab world and rub the Arabs\' nose in the dirt.’\"
The ZOA points out that in 1993 Nusseibeh told the Arab newspaper Al Fajr that, \"Military means against Israel are vindicated by Israeli practices\". Nusseibeh also told the paper that he supports \"the use of force against Israelis as a means of
support of our negotiating position.\"
In a 1986 article the Jerusalem Times, (An Arab publication) Nusseibeh
described Israel as \"a racist Zionist entity\" and called for a three-stage
plan of consolidating the Arab position within Israel, increasing the Arab
population, and then, \"The final stage will be the stage of a Palestinian
democratic and secular state, achieved as and when Arab Palestinians
naturally become a majority.\"
According to the ZOA, Nusseibeh has been a longtime supporter of violence against Israel. ZOA president Morton Klein says, \"Sari Nusseibeh is an extremist in moderate clothing. He has always supported violence against Israel, he spied for Saddam during the Gulf War (as reported yesterday by Arutz Sheva), and he called America\'s liberation of Kuwait an attempt by ‘the forces of aggression’ to ‘humiliate the Arab world and rub the Arabs\' nose in the dirt.’\"
The ZOA points out that in 1993 Nusseibeh told the Arab newspaper Al Fajr that, \"Military means against Israel are vindicated by Israeli practices\". Nusseibeh also told the paper that he supports \"the use of force against Israelis as a means of
support of our negotiating position.\"
In a 1986 article the Jerusalem Times, (An Arab publication) Nusseibeh
described Israel as \"a racist Zionist entity\" and called for a three-stage
plan of consolidating the Arab position within Israel, increasing the Arab
population, and then, \"The final stage will be the stage of a Palestinian
democratic and secular state, achieved as and when Arab Palestinians
naturally become a majority.\"