Arafat won't be written off

2003-07-16 13:43

Jerusalem - Israel's bid to render Yasser Arafat irrelevant appears to have hit a brick wall after he saw off a challenge to his authority from premier Mahmud Abbas and European heavyweights Britain and Russia resisted pressure to sever ties with the veteran Palestinian leader.

While Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dined on Monday night with Tony Blair in the elegance of the British premier's 10 Downing Street residence, Arafat's evening was again spent in the remains of his bombed-out leadership compound in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

But while Sharon came away from supper without persuading Blair to ostracise his arch-enemy, Arafat managed to reconcile his differences with Abbas whom the Israelis and United States would like to see emerge as the new Palestinian powerbroker.

Menachem Klein, a lecturer in political sciences at Bar-Ilan University near Tel Aviv, said Sharon's strategy of wishing Arafat out of the picture was "simplistic" and doomed to failure.

Sharon has said that Arafat is undermining Abbas whose softly softly approach to Israel in peace talks has so far yielded few results.

"This is the mistake of the last three governments and the whole (Israeli) establishment is completely misreading the the Palestinian political map and the Palestinian elite," said Klein.

"If anyone wants to really help Abu Mazen (Abbas' nom-de-guerre), they must keep Arafat in the picture.

"Foreign governments can honour and respect him (as the elected Palestinian leader) but then negotiate on policy and deeds with Abu Mazen."

Junior British foreign office minister Baroness Symons said in Jordan on Tuesday that Britain expects "most of our dealings will be with Abu Mazen but Arafat remains an important figure and the elected leader of the Palestinian people".

And Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov made a point of meeting Arafat in Ramallah over the weekend, effectively ruling himself out of an audience with Israeli ministers.

Ali Jarbawi, professor of political sciences at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank, said the Israeli strategy risked backfiring by making Palestinians rally round their symbol of resistance.

"If your enemy is asking for the removal of your leader, would you accept it?" he asked.

Arafat, whose mainstream Fatah movement dominates Palestinian politics, remained the key to any resolution of the conflict for three reasons.

"First, he is the elected leader. Second, he pulls the strings within Fatah. And third, he is popular among the Palestinians, although why he is popular I don't know," Jarbawi added.

Arafat has been confined to Ramallah since December 2001, when his offices came under sustained attack from the Israelis following a series of deadly anti-Israeli suicide bombings.

But his confinement means Abbas is unlikely to accept a standing invitation from US President George W Bush, a visit which would give major impetus to the Washington-backed roadmap for peace.

Klein said the United States may end up having to "squeeze" the Israelis to end the siege and to keep the peace process alive.

According to Jarbawi, Arafat's confinement served only to reinforce his popularity. "The Israeli confinement has not produced the intended results. He is using the situation to his benefit."

Arafat's reputation as the great survivor continues to grow, having already outlived two of his great rivals, the late King Hussein of Jordan and president Hafez al-Assad of Syria who died in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

Sharon has voiced his regret at not finishing off Arafat when, as defense minister, he oversaw the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon to chase out the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO).

- AFX