Despite his earlier statements that there was nothing to speak about with the PLO leadership until the Arab attacks came to a total halt, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer announced on Monday that he is in favor of resuming talks with Yasser Arafat. He added that negotiations with senior officials of the Palestinian Authority are not efficient and that Arafat alone was capable of bringing an end to the Arab violence. Peres too said yesterday that he favors an immediate resumption of diplomatic negotiations with Arafat. In an interview on Israel television, the Defense Minister, a candidate for the chairmanship of the Labor Party, sent a personal message to Arafat. Using the PLO leader’s nom de guerre, Ben-Eliezer said, “Abu Amar, I guarantee your safety. Do not fear. We want you to continue leading your people towards the direction of peace.” The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza was quick to comment that before the Defense Minister hurries to guarantee Arafat\'s security, it would be appropriate for him to fulfill his obligation to the citizens of Israel and guarantee their security in Tel Aviv and on the roads in Yesha.



While Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres are in favor of talks with Arafat, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains opposed. He told a Hadassah Women’s Organization gathering on Monday that there would be no return to the negotiating table \"under fire.\" Yesterday, Sharon reiterated to the new US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Kurtzer, that there must be a seven-day quiet period followed by six weeks of tranquility without attacks before proceeding to the implementation of other stages of the Mitchell Plan.