Easing Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's isolation, Israel has permitted the Palestinian leader to meet with four senior advisers at his besieged headquarters. Last week, the US envoy to the region, Anthony Zinni, was permitted to meet with Arafat for 90 minutes at the Ramallah compound. At the time, Israel denied a Palestinian request that Arafat be allowed to consult with his advisers at the headquarters. Raanan Gissin, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said that Israel's security cabinet, which met late Monday, decided to permit the meeting to assist US cease-fire efforts.
The meeting actually wasn't necessary, since al-Aqsa and Tanzim are ticking along without guidance... Oh. They're supposed to discuss cease-fires. Well, no doubt that could happen, too. |