Arafat brushes off Sharon’s threats

JERUSALEM – Yasser Arafat yesterday brushed off recent threats to his life by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as Washington warned the veteran leader against integrating the hardline Hamas movement into his Palestinian Authority.

“I am not afraid of Sharon’s threats,” the 74-year-old Arafat told the top-selling Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot. “Do you know me as a person who is afraid? I am afraid only of Allah.”This is not the first time that Sharon has threatened my life.He forgets that he also threatened me in Beirut,” added Arafat in reference to Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, where Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organisation was then based.Sharon was slapped down last week by his allies in Washington after giving an interview in which he warned that Arafat was a “marked man”.But the Israeli premier repeated his threat on Monday, telling Israeli radio his long-time nemesis was to blame for “the murder of Jews for decades” and that “all those who kill Jews or push for the killing of Jews or Israeli citizens deserve to die.”Arafat said that he was vehemently opposed to the killing of Israeli civilians.”I am against killing civilians.I have said this to my people on several occasions, in my name and in the name of the leadership: ‘stop killing civilians’.”What is important “is the future of our children – your children and our children.It is important that they live in peace on this land,” he added.Since coming to power in 2001, Sharon has completely boycotted Arafat, and the Israelis have effectively kept the Palestinian leader under house arrest for more than two years.Having declared that he sees no partner for peace among the Palestinian leadership, the Israeli premier has since pledged to implement his own unilateral measures, including a pull-out from the Gaza Strip.Arafat said he wanted any such move to be coordinated with his Palestinian Authority.He also said he had received assurances from the quartet that drafted the peace roadmap – the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia – that withdrawal would be part of the troubled blueprint.”We have received promises from the quartet and the Americans that the withdrawal will be part of the roadmap, and I hope it indeed will be,” he said.The prospect of an Israeli departure from Gaza has encouraged the radical Islamic movement Hamas to seek to enter the Palestinian political mainstream.Said Siam, a senior official in the movement’s Gaza stronghold, said on Tuesday that Hamas was ready to join the Palestinian Authority but will not accept being restricted to a symbolic role by its long-time rival.Arafat himself has told the latest edition of the German weekly Focus that he wants Hamas to be brought into the Palestinian Authority, which is currently dominated by his own Fatah movement.But the US State Department warned off any move to bring Hamas into the political fold.- Nampa-AFP”Do you know me as a person who is afraid? I am afraid only of Allah.”This is not the first time that Sharon has threatened my life.He forgets that he also threatened me in Beirut,” added Arafat in reference to Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, where Arafat’s Palestine Liberation Organisation was then based.Sharon was slapped down last week by his allies in Washington after giving an interview in which he warned that Arafat was a “marked man”.But the Israeli premier repeated his threat on Monday, telling Israeli radio his long-time nemesis was to blame for “the murder of Jews for decades” and that “all those who kill Jews or push for the killing of Jews or Israeli citizens deserve to die.”Arafat said that he was vehemently opposed to the killing of Israeli civilians.”I am against killing civilians.I have said this to my people on several occasions, in my name and in the name of the leadership: ‘stop killing civilians’.”What is important “is the future of our children – your children and our children.It is important that they live in peace on this land,” he added.Since coming to power in 2001, Sharon has completely boycotted Arafat, and the Israelis have effectively kept the Palestinian leader under house arrest for more than two years.Having declared that he sees no partner for peace among the Palestinian leadership, the Israeli premier has since pledged to implement his own unilateral measures, including a pull-out from the Gaza Strip.Arafat said he wanted any such move to be coordinated with his Palestinian Authority.He also said he had received assurances from the quartet that drafted the peace roadmap – the United States, United Nations, European Union and Russia – that withdrawal would be part of the troubled blueprint.”We have received promises from the quartet and the Americans that the withdrawal will be part of the roadmap, and I hope it indeed will be,” he said.The prospect of an Israeli departure from Gaza has encouraged the radical Islamic movement Hamas to seek to enter the Palestinian political mainstream.Said Siam, a senior official in the movement’s Gaza stronghold, said on Tuesday that Hamas was ready to join the Palestinian Authority but will not accept being restricted to a symbolic role by its long-time rival.Arafat himself has told the latest edition of the German weekly Focus that he wants Hamas to be brought into the Palestinian Authority, which is currently dominated by his own Fatah movement.But the US State Department warned off any move to bring Hamas into the political fold.- Nampa-AFP