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IDF troops seize PA ministry near Arafatâs Muqata
JPost Reg Reqâd
IDF troops took control of the Palestinian Authority Cultural Ministry in the West Bank city of Ramallah Thursday morning, Palestinian sources said. The building, located just south of Yasser Arafatâs Muqata compound, gives the soldiers a vantage point of the Muqata and sends a direct and clear message to Arafat that the IDF is present in the West Bank city.
Red laser dots tend to focus the mind
Palestinian officials expressed concern over the takeover, saying that they expected the IDF to impose a total siege on Arafat.
Good, but donât let the ISM a-holes get near enough to play human shields
| Eh? Go ahead, what the heck... |
The action came just hours before the security cabinet was set to meet to discuss the possibility of expelling Arafat. Military sources confirmed that troops had taken positions in the city. Sharon, arriving back in Israel earlier than planned from India following Tuesdayâs twin suicide bombings, plans to convene the security cabinet for urgent talks later in the day. Hard-liners in Sharonâs Cabinet have long clamored for expulsion of Arafat. Up to now Sharon has rebuffed the deportation calls, fearing international condemnation. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, who supports the deportation of Arafat, told Army Radio Thursday that he believes that there is a majority within the cabinet supporting the move. "The moment Arafat is out, someone else will sprout up after him and will control the security forces, the PAâs funds," Shalom said. "The moment he isnât here, more moderate officials will be able to move in after him."
| Either that, or the nutbags will be busy blowing each other up as they wrestle for the Seat of All Power™... |
Arafat aide, Ahmed Abdel Rahman, said Thursday that the deportation of the Palestinian leader would set the region on the brink of an abyss.
Likud Minister Yisrael Katz said Thursday that Israel does not have to wait to receive Americaâs authorization to expel the Palestinian leader. "As far as I know, there is no Israeli commitment to the Americans not to take action," Katz said. "Israel is allowed, able and obligated to make its own decisions."
| "If the Merkins don't like it, maybe they'd like to park him in Omaha? Or Berkeley? |
Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, head of the moderate opposition Labor Party, warned that expelling Arafat would be a "historic mistake" that would "deepen the hostilities between the Palestinians and ourselves." He told CNN, "Arafat outside (his Ramallah office) will be more effective and more negative than he is today."
Yesterday Fred and others argued that killing him was premature - I can see the logic, but Iâd rather see him killed than expelled, free to do TV interviews and PR cmpaigns
Posted by: Frank G 2003-09-11 |
