Sharon beginning to feel the heat

The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published in the newspaper, Maariv, this week, that Israel should have killed Yasser Arafat when its army had him under siege in Beirut 20 years ago.

Sharon also met Mahmoud Abbas, Arafat's deputy, Ahmed Qurei, the legislative council speaker, and Mohammed Rashid a financial adviser. In New York, Israeli foreign minister, Shimon Peres, met two Palestinian National Authority officials - Ahmed Qurei and Khaled Salem - to discuss ways of ending the violence.

Arafat, writing in the New York Times, outlined his vision for an independent and viable Palesti-nian state on the territory occupied by Israel in 1967, living as an equal neighbour alongside Israel. He condemned attacks against Israel, and said he would sit down with any Israeli leader, regardless of his history, to negotiate freedom for the Palestinians.

The following is a review of the Arab Press which discussed such diplomatic stirrings. Al Ittihad (UAE) in its editorial comment pointed out that after a year as prime minister, Sharon has lost popularity in the Israeli opinion polls.

Sharon should be disappointed, because after a year of his mandate he has not been able to guarantee his fellow citizens the promised peace and security. He called upon Arafat, as a last resort, to be the guarantor of Israel's security, says Al Ittihad.

Sharon benefited from the September 11 attacks, and took the war against terrorism as a pretext to escalate his campaign against the Palestinian leader, to put an end to the Intifada, adds Al Ittihad.

But apparently his manoeuvre to isolate Arafat and to find a substitute for him has not been able to persuade the Europeans who reaffirmed their support for Arafat, as the legal representative of the Palestinians, and as the only partner to negotiate with.

Despair could drive Sharon to more violence that can set the whole region ablaze. This renewal of tension can only be stopped by the intervention of the United States, which should retain its role of impartial sponsor of the peace process, concludes Al Ittihad.

Along the same lines, Al Khaleej (UAE) in its editorial comment pointed to the five conditions proposed by Sharon to the Palestinian delegation he met recently, saying these conditions are unacceptable for the Palestinians, because they lead to imposing peace by force.

In fact, Sharon has declared that Israel will not stop its assassination of Palestinian activists and its siege of the Palestinian territories, unless these conditions are fulfilled. In essence, Sharon is trying by all means to terminate the Intifada by causing discord between the different Palestinian factions, says Al Khaleej.

Sharon, who is in Washington to meet President Bush, knows that without the full support of the American administration he cannot impose such humiliating conditions on the Palestinians, adds Al Khaleej.

It is pointless to expect a fair and just stand from the American administration, points out Al Khaleej. Hence, it is necessary for the Arab countries which meet next month for the Arab summit in Beirut to reconsider their commitment towards the peace process and the American sponsor in order to take decisions that can protect and guarantee the rights of the Palestinians, adds Al Khaleej.

Al Sharq Al-Awsat (based in the UK), in its editorial focused on the recognition of Arafat as leader of the Palestinian Authority by the whole world, despite his 'imprisonment' in Ramallah, and all attempts by Sharon to isolate him.

Sharon himself, adds Al Sharq Al-Awsat, still considers Arafat a representative of the Palestinians since Wednesday's secret meeting could not take place without Arafat's agreement.

Another proof of this recognition, was the visit of 300 Israeli members of Ta'ayush, a movement supporting the coexistence between Arabs and Jews, to Arafat in Ramallah. During this visit they denounced the Israeli invasion into the Palestinian Authority areas, and renewed their support to Yasser Arafat.

Al Sharq Al-Awsat outlined the dissatisfaction of the Israelis with Sharon's violent methods. It mentioned the struggle inside the Israeli army to overcome the resistance of more than 100 reservist soldiers to Sharon's violent approach as they signed a petition saying they refused to kill women and children.

Al Sharq Al-Awsat concludes its editorial with the need to set up a real dialogue and understanding inside 'Palestinian House', to unitedly confront Sharon's atrocities.

In such a context the decision of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to suspend its membership at the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organi-sation, despite its legitimacy, was inappropriate because solidarity between the different factions must come first, adds Al Sharq Al-Awsat.

Al Sharq (Qatar) in its editorial also referred to the PFLP's decision, saying the timing is not adequate for a conflict between the different Palestinian factions. This could lead to an inter-Palestinian war.

The PFLP has the right to protest against the detention of its secretary general, Ahmed Saadate, by the Palestinian National Authority, but considering the situation in the Palestinian territories, this would only weaken Arafat at a time of revived dialogue between the Israelis and the Palestinian National Authority, adds Al Sharq.

The Palestinian factions' leaders should not allow Israel to exploit their internal discord, as a pretext to avoid its peace commitment towards the creation of an independent Palestinian state, concludes Al Sharq.

Maher Othman writing in Al Hayat (based in the UK), sees that Arafat has made a good move, when he directly addressed the American public, preventing Zionist propaganda from deforming his words and falsifying reality, as he published his article 'The Palestinian Concept of Peace' in the renowned New York Times.

The importance of the article does not only arise from its content, but also from its timing, a few days before the meeting between Sharon and Bush in Washington, adds Othman.

Thus, President Arafat's article constitutes an attempt to put pressure on Sharon, because in general, it does not differ much from the American view of peace in the Middle East, as expressed by president Bush and Secretary of State, Colin Powell, concerning the creation of an independent and viable Palestinian state, and the end of Israeli occupation, writes Othman.

The United States should do its best to impose a just and fair solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and that can happen only if they stop considering the conflict from an Israeli point of view, adds Othman.