"Arafat has failed as leader of the Palestinians." So said U.S. President George Bush this afternoon - even as Arafat was still publicly talking about yet another ceasefire with Israel. Israeli officials have rejected Arafat and his new/old stance, and spokesman Raanan Gissin said Arafat was engaged in his "3-D show: deceit, deception, and defiance."
Bush, who met today in Camp David with King Abdullah of Jordan, said that if the Palestinian Authority wants peace, it must have a leadership that is 100% committed to a war on terrorism. "Abu Mazen made a genuine effort to fulfill his Aqaba obligations," Bush said, "but Arafat undermined him at every step."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, at a joint press conference with the President of the Dominican Republic today, said, "For 10 years, this man [Arafat] has been toying with us, and has been making peace noises whenever it suits him. Arafat's hudna offer is a propaganda ploy, perhaps even designed to save himself from himself."
Bush, who met today in Camp David with King Abdullah of Jordan, said that if the Palestinian Authority wants peace, it must have a leadership that is 100% committed to a war on terrorism. "Abu Mazen made a genuine effort to fulfill his Aqaba obligations," Bush said, "but Arafat undermined him at every step."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, at a joint press conference with the President of the Dominican Republic today, said, "For 10 years, this man [Arafat] has been toying with us, and has been making peace noises whenever it suits him. Arafat's hudna offer is a propaganda ploy, perhaps even designed to save himself from himself."