Did Arafat surrender?

The Israeli flag flies over Yasser Arafat’s compound in Ramallah
ABCNews informs that Israel’s national flag is flying over Yasser Arafat’s residence in Ramallah. The code named operation “Matter of Time” is the third "anti-terrorist" operation over the past 12 months. Within the last 24 hours, almost all buildings have been destroyed in the government compound in Ramallah.

It is time for Yasser Arafat to think about his future. According to the Israeli newspaper Haarez, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat promised to curb the armed groups that had claimed responsibility for numerous acts of terrorism against the Israeli civilian population on the condition that the siege of his Ramallah compound be stopped.

As for Israel’s demand to deliver people suspected of terrorism hiding in his residence, the Palestinian leader is very likely to try to deport them to the third countries. Earlier this year, in May, negotiations were held, as a result of which terrorists wanted by the Israeli special services who were hiding in a Christian Church were deported to the Gaza strip and to several European countries. It is difficult to say whether or not such a system will be effective this time, but the delivering of brothers-in-arms before upcoming elections is deadly. In addition, Yasser Arafat keeps on appealing to the world community. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is Arafat’s mediator this time; he already sent letters to the USA, France, and Germany concerning the siege of Yasser Arafat’s compound. Details of the letters are being kept secret. Mahathir Mohamad, while at the meeting of European and Asian leaders in Copenhagen on Saturday, said that he would ask Western leaders to intervene and stop the Israeli operation in Ramallah.

Dmitry Litvinovich PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/09/23/47434.html

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