Following Shimon Peres\' appearance in Washington, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Bureau issued the following statement today: “The current attacks are the result of a strategic decision by Arafat. The organizations subject to Arafat including Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah understand that they have a ‘green light’ to continue attacks against Israel.”
This statement is in stark contrast to yesterday\'s remarks by Foreign Minister Peres, who said that Arafat is \"still Israel\'s peace partner.\" Peres was also quoted as saying that Arafat is not responsible for the violence in the territories, but that \"some dissident groups and some forces under Arafat participated in the killings without his knowledge.\'\' Officials in the Prime Minister\'s Office expressed displeasure at Peres\' comments, Israel Radio reported, quoting them as saying that Peres\' actions in the U.S. must be closely watched to ensure that he does not deviate from the understandings he reached previously with Sharon.