Arafat through the back door

[Gimel]

With no connection to Israel's position on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Washington decided the chairman was not a partner for negotiations. At times, the American decision seemed no less adamant than Israel's, maybe even more so.

The most recent antagonism was related to the murder of three Americans in October 2003, in a diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip. The Americans concluded that Arafat was personally responsible for the lack of a proper investigation into the incident to find the killers. As a result American contractors are not allowed to take part in aid programs in the Gaza Strip.

The difference between the American and Israeli approaches is that Washington decided not to turn Arafat into "the main issue" - it is trying to prove to the Palestinian public that it is possible to make progress even without Arafat.

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In terms of the details, it makes no difference at all whether Arafat planned the violent intifada in advance, or only added fuel to it in the second stage and prevented its ending, as happened with the riots at the Western Wall tunnels. The result is thousands of dead, with the Israeli home front suffering more than in any previous war.

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