Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has agreed to a request from Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak to discuss the latest Oslo War developments with his Intelligence Chief, Omar Suleiman, who is scheduled to arrive in Israel in the next several days.
The announcement of the Sharon/Suleiman meeting comes a day after Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer met with Mubarak in Alexandria, Egypt. Mubarak expressed support for Ben-Eliezer\'s new \"pilot plan,\" which calls for Israel to coordinate security activities with the PLO in a joint effort to combat terrorism. If the security cooperation is successful in a trial region, then the model will be expanded to other areas in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Ben-Eliezer proposed that the initiative begin in Gaza.
Regarding Yasser Arafat, Ben-Eliezer explained to Mubarak that the PLO-leader cannot remain in power. While Mubarak declared his support for Arafat as the leader of the Palestinian people, Israeli officials say that in private the Egyptians have agreed that Arafat must step down.
At a press conference following the meeting, Ben-Eliezer announced that while Israel has thwarted numerous suicide attacks over the last several days, 12 more potential Arab suicide bombers were waiting in PLO-controlled areas and would be trying to enter Israeli cities to launch attacks. Following Ben-Eliezer’s comments, IDF forces in PLO-controlled Jenin last night, arrested an Arab woman who was planning a suicide bombing for the near future.
The announcement of the Sharon/Suleiman meeting comes a day after Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer met with Mubarak in Alexandria, Egypt. Mubarak expressed support for Ben-Eliezer\'s new \"pilot plan,\" which calls for Israel to coordinate security activities with the PLO in a joint effort to combat terrorism. If the security cooperation is successful in a trial region, then the model will be expanded to other areas in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Ben-Eliezer proposed that the initiative begin in Gaza.
Regarding Yasser Arafat, Ben-Eliezer explained to Mubarak that the PLO-leader cannot remain in power. While Mubarak declared his support for Arafat as the leader of the Palestinian people, Israeli officials say that in private the Egyptians have agreed that Arafat must step down.
At a press conference following the meeting, Ben-Eliezer announced that while Israel has thwarted numerous suicide attacks over the last several days, 12 more potential Arab suicide bombers were waiting in PLO-controlled areas and would be trying to enter Israeli cities to launch attacks. Following Ben-Eliezer’s comments, IDF forces in PLO-controlled Jenin last night, arrested an Arab woman who was planning a suicide bombing for the near future.