(8:00) Zinni: PA is a mafia and Arafat is its leader

Jpost ^ | 27/1/02

[IcommGen]

(8:00) Zinni: PA is a mafia and Arafat is its leader

The Palestinian Authority is a mafia, and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat is the leader of the mafia, US special envoy Anthony Zinni said today.

Zinni made his remarks after his planned visit to the region was suspended by US President George W. Bush.

Sources in the prime minister's bureau expressed satisfaction with the decision, saying it will help in the war against terrorism. However, diplomatic sources said it could lead to more bloodletting on both sides.

The US administration threatened over the weekend to impose sanctions against Arafat, from closing the PLO's offices in Washington to totally cutting off relations, if he fails to prove he is making a concerted effort to fight terrorism.

Meanwhile, security forces remain on high alert throughout the country in response to intelligence warnings of planned terrorist attacks.

Police are out in force, especially along the Green Line, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.

Late last night, Palestinian terrorists lightly wounded an Israeli Arab taxi driver in a shooting attack between Peduel and Alei Zahav in Samaria, Army Radio reported.

[eclectic]

It makes me worry about my country and where it is heading.

If virgil is worried, Bush must have been doing something right

[College Repub]

good call!

[truth_seeker]

And this while Colin is working hard to get exercise rooms and mud baths for the Al Queda "activists", as mandated by the Geneva Convention.

After getting the range of opinions, Bush will say "Colin, I've decided against your position, but I continue to support the good work you are doing. Thanks."

[mvonfr]

PA is a mafia and Arafat is its leader

A step in the right direction; bad comparison.

If I were a mafia don, I would consider suing Mr. Zinni. Traditional mafia was not ever involved in terrorism. Mr. Arafat is substantially more evil than anything Italians ever managed to produce.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

You need to read this:

Bush's Global Strategy Began to Take Shape in First Frantic Hours After Attack

And here are the most important words in the article to me:

Like his father, Bush tries to keep a daily diary of his thoughts and observations. That night, he dictated:

"The Pearl Harbor of the 21st century took place today."

[CyberAnt]

We didn't do this 6 months ago, because our President is serious about allowing people to hang themselves. He will give people enough rope and allow them to make the decision. They will either do the right thing, or they will make it plain and clear to everyone exactly where they stand. It has worked with Arafat, and it's also working for the Senate. The media doesn't get it yet, but they will - after Bush finishes reading "Bias".

[monkeyshine]

See this thread http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/588232/posts

American mediator Gen. Anthony Zinni, who met with Yasser Arafat yesterday, said about him, "I have never encountered such lack of trustworthiness in my life." He said it was a "waste of time to try to reach a serious agreement with Arafat..."

This quote generated quite a lot of debate on this forum... many freepers refused to believe that Zinni would say this during a peace mission. I think it's becoming clear that Zinni, a straight shooting career military man, has no time for the games Arafat plays with innocent people's lives on both sides.

I have no fear for my country or where it is heading. After 8 years of Clinton's moral equivalency, which ended in complete failure, we finally have some people in charge that don't want to put up with his murderous BS.

[College Repub]

I have an inside diplomatic contact who was privy to Clinton's work during his terms on brokering peace. He told me that Clinton was basicaly in things for the glory and was not the one overly pressuring or forcing the peace settlements. Rather, it was Labor in Israel.

[Imal]

"The Palestinian Authority is a mafia, and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat is the leader of the mafia, US special envoy Anthony Zinni said today."

Although I have no reason to doubt the credibility of the Jerusalem Post or IcommGen, I find this report very hard to believe, and would very much like to see some corroboration.

If true, it's a stunning thing for a diplomat to say, at the very least. I wouldn't expect any future negotiations or discussions between Zinni and Arafat after a statement like this.

Imal

[College Repub]

I wouldn't expect any either. I don't think Zinni intends to work with him again either. That's probably why he said it.

[monkeyshine]

FYI bump

[monkeyshine]

See my link above. This is two times that Zinni has been quoted as saying things like this about Arafat. Many people on the other thread wanted "corroboration" last month, too... but now this is an entirely different quote, in an entirely different context, from an entirely different source.. yet the implication is the same. I find them both to be corroborative of each other, and therefore credible.

[Imal]

Yeah, I see what you mean. Amazing stuff!

Imal

[IcommGen]

I am very happy that America has begun to open its eyes.

However, I have this really bad feeling that things are going to get messy over there in the Middle East.

I pray that the other Arabs will sit this one out and let Israel clean up the territories. I believe that following the reconquest of the territories, Israel should begin a long, long process of 're-educating' the Palestinians (removing the hate from the next generation and introducing democracy within the territories) in the same way that the Allies re-educated (de-nazified) Germany and Japan, following World War II.

Perhaps if done right, the next generation of Palestinians will be ready for peace.

[College Repub]

[monkeyshine]

FYI Bump. Do you (still) doubt Zinni's quotes?

[American in Israel]

Another point that makes it credible is that Zinni is right. The observations he has come to in just two short visits here took me a heck of a lot longer to come to. Zinni is a no BS Marine General. Hats off to common sense in Government. A rare beast indeed. If I ever meet Zinni I want to shake his hand. You want answers, send a Marine not a State Department simp. Bush got answers.

[Fred Mertz]

Is Zinni a Catholic?

[Lucius Cornelius Sulla]

I wouldn't expect any future negotiations or discussions between Zinni and Arafat after a statement like this.

I think it is fairly clear that the governments of both the US and Israel expect that Arafat will get his wish re: martyrdom, either in a fire fight, or possibly by assassination by some of the more extreme islamic groups, fed up with Arafat's incompetence and corruption. It is very hard to discuss things with a rotting corpse!

[GeronL]

Hard to believe they'd just say it like that

I support this President big time even if I agree with him just 90% of the time =o)