Word: arafats
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...international community take care of aiding their inhabitants." Thus, while Sharon is content for Powell and the Quartet to discuss reforming the Palestinian Authority and providing humanitarian aid to ordinary Palestinians - and even for foreign minister Shimon Peres to hold similarly limited discussions with PA representatives other than Arafat - he has no plans for renewed political dialogue with the Palestinians, at least as long as Arafat is their leader...
...unlikely to deter further Palestinian terror attacks. But the Israelis believe that loosening their grip would simply encourage future attacks. No such dilemmas face the militants of Hamas and Islamic Jihad (the two organizations responsible for the latest attacks), and even the Al Aksa Martyr's Brigade linked with Arafat's own Fatah organization. They're out to demonstrate their continued ability to kill Israelis despite the IDF's presence in the West Bank cities and signal their rejection of any new diplomatic efforts...
...Arafat's future wasn't the only point of difference between Washington and its partners. They certainly agree on the urgent need for Palestinian reform, particularly of its security services, for a clampdown on terrorism and for democratic elections and for transparency in the disbursement of aid funds. But while the U.S. endorses the Israeli view that these changes must occur before the Israelis withdraw from recently reoccupied Palestinian towns, the other Quartet members have expressed doubt that the shared goals will be achieved under Israeli occupation. And the Quartet partners want to move quickly to create a Palestinian state...
...York on Tuesday, Secretary of State Colin Powell met fellow diplomats from the "Quartet," which coordinates Western mediation efforts into the conflict, to discuss ways of reviving the peace process within the limits recently set out by President Bush. The President's specific demand that Yasser Arafat be ousted as a precondition for diplomatic progress highlighted the differences between Washington and its allies on how to proceed. The Russians and Europeans insisted they would continue to work with Arafat as long as he remains the elected leader of the Palestinians, and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan echoed the sentiment...
...Still, there's little in the Quartet discussions that offers much prospect of any change in the situation. Prime Minister Sharon has made clear that Israel has no interest in political negotiations as long as Yasser Arafat is around - a position now backed by the Bush administration - but Arafat is going nowhere fast. New Palestinian elections have been called for early next year, but the Palestinians have insisted that no poll can be held as long as Israel's army holds West Bank cities under siege. But the Israelis say they aren't going anywhere until those elections have been...