Afatrat has been in the news quite a bit today.
1. Afatrat to PA municipality leaders: “Stop meeting with Israeli officials.”
Yasser Arafat has instructed leaders of PA municipalities to stop meeting with Israeli officials, army officers or representatives of the IDFís Civil Administration to prevent any deals between the PA municipalities and Israel to permit continued construction on the counter-terrorism fence.
Galei Tzahal Radio reports that PA officials are continuing meetings with Israeli officials despite Arafatís instructions.
Sounds to me like el Presidente’s grip is slipping…
2. Afatrat to UN envoy to the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen: “We won’t be meeting with you.”
The United Nations’ top envoy to the Middle East is no longer welcome in the Palestinian territories following his harsh criticism of the Palestinian Authority and its Chairman Yasser Arafat, an adviser to the PA chairman said Wednesday.
The comments by Nabil Abu Rdeneh, Arafat’s top adviser, reflected a deepening rift between the Palestinian leadership and Terje Roed-Larsen, the top UN official in the region.
“We have demanded that (UN Secretary-General) Kofi Annan inquire about (Roed)-Larsen’s actions. The Palestinian government probably will act on the basis that (Roed)-Larsen is unwanted in the Palestinian territories,” Abu Rdeneh said.
“(Roed)-Larsen himself is useless and is not welcomed in the Palestinian territories,” he added.
On Tuesday, Roed-Larsen leveled rare public criticism against Arafat during a carefully balanced briefing to the Security Council.
“The PA, despite consistent promises by its leadership, has made no progress on its core obligation to take immediate action on the ground to end violence and combat terror, and to reform and reorganize the Palestinians Authority,” Larsen said.
Slipping further..
3. Israel to Afatrat: “We are preparing for the day after you meet the grim ferryman.”
Israel is readying for the day after Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat dies.
A plan formulated by diplomatic and security officials, a copy of which was handed to Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom on Wednesday, forecasts
“a state of lawlessness” in the Palestinian territories if and when the aging PA chairman passes away.
The report warns that Israel should prepare for the possibility that Arafat’s death will give new energy to the Palestinian uprising.
Deputy PM Ehud Olmert said Wednesday from Turkey that there has been no change in Israel’s policy towards Arafat, i.e. he will not be harmed, and will not be allowed to leave his Ramallah compound.
Although the ‘post-Arafat contingency plan’ is not new ñ the Ministry of Defense published a similar report several months ago – the document delivered Wednesday to the Foreign Ministry details Israel’s public diplomacy challenges for the day Arafat dies, Israel Radio reported.
Three possible scenarios leading to Arafat’s death have been considered and evaluated in the plan:
Arafat’s death in an Israeli military operation Arafat’s death in a natural instantaneous death Arafat’s slow death as a result of a terminal illness
They all sound good to me, but perhaps a natural instantaneous death (such as spontaneous combustion) would be the best, since it would rid the world of this menace in the shortest time possible.
