ARAFAT RISES AND SALUTES SHARON
MER - Washington - 10/20: At the White House on September 13, 1993, Arafat knew very
well what he was really doing -- surrendering. Indeed Arafat intended to wear his
trade-mark holster and unloaded gun, as he had done at the U.N. in 1974, and to
symbolically hand it over to the President of the United States at the signing ceremony.
He was convinced not to do so not by his own people, but by both the Americans the
Israelis. True, they wanted Arafat to sign on the dotted line and surrender to their will.
But no, they didn't want a de jure out-front photo surrender for all the world to see.
They very much wanted a political smoke-screen to camaflouge what was really happening;
hence Arafat's little gun turnover was side-tracked. Even so Arafat knows what's up at
this point in history. He has become near totally dependent on the worst historic enemies
of his own people in order to save himself and his circle of Westernized cronies and
businessmen.
So when Ariel Sharon, essentially the victorious General in this case, finally managed
to make his way to the Wye Plantation over the weekend Arafat knew what to do: Rise and
Salute. The following AP article tells part of the tale, but so much is admitted. After
all Sharon is widely known for his butchery of Palestinians going back to the 50s, his
masterminding and oversight of the Sabra and Shatilla massacres, his literal bulldozing of
Palestinian land into Israeli settlements, his imposition of his home in the Muslim
Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem with a huge Israeli flag and menorah flying boldly on
top for all to see, etc., etc.
ISRAELI MINISTER SNUBS ARAFAT
JERUSALEM (AP - 10/19) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon snubbed Yasser Arafat
during their first face-to-face encounter, while the Palestinian leader stood up and
saluted his one-time nemesis during U.S.-brokered Mideast peace talks.
President Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Arafat were holding
talks Monday night when Netanyahu announced: "General Sharon has arrived,"
Israel radio said.
Arafat got up and saluted Sharon, but the Israeli minister strode past him, then
pointedly shook hands with Clinton and Arafat's deputy, Mahmoud Abbas, it said.
The U.S. organizers tried to break the ice between the two by seating them across from
each other, to no avail.
Arafat's adviser, Ahmed Tibi, said Sharon's refusal to shake hands was inappropriate
for a diplomat. "This is superfluous and petty," Tibi said of Sharon's behavior.
As defense minister in the early 1980s, Sharon invaded Lebanon to drive Arafat's PLO
guerrillas out and succeeded in forcing the Palestinian leader and thousands of his
fighters to leave Beirut.
Sharon has labeled the Palestinian leader a "terrorist" and insisted even
after being named Israel's foreign minister earlier this month that he would not shake
Arafat's hand.
