Egypt, Jordan condemn Israel's military escalation

Yahoo (AP) ^ | Wed Jun 19, 1:18 PM ET

[Thinkin' Gal]

Jordan's King Abdullah(L) with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak review Bedouin guards of honor at Amman's military airport June 19, 2002. Both nation's foreign ministers cast doubt on proposals for a provisional Palestinian state being considered by the U.S. and criticized Israel's threat to reoccupy Palestinian land in response to new suicide attacks. Photo by Pool/Reuters

Egypt, Jordan condemn Israel's military escalation
Wed Jun 19, 1:18 PM ET

AMMAN, Jordan - The leaders of Egypt and Jordan on Wednesday condemned Israel's military escalation in response to a Palestinian suicide bombing, with President Hosni Mubarak ( news - web sites) warning Israel against expelling Yasser Arafat ( news - web sites).

A joint statement following their meeting in Amman did not mention the Tuesday bombing on a Jerusalem bus, which killed 19 Israelis. Israel responded to the attack by saying it will gradually reoccupy Palestinian areas until terrorism stops, and raided three West Bank towns on Tuesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ( news - web sites) "must understand that the only way to ensure the security of the Israeli people is through political process that leads to the implementation of the policy of two states living side by side," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters.

Mubarak warned against Israeli threats of expelling Arafat, blamed by Israel for failing to stop suicide attacks.

"There is no alternative to Arafat, except if some people want to remove Arafat in order to seize the Palestinian territories, which means the continuation of violence," Mubarak told reporters aboard his plane, according to Egypt's Middle East News Agency.

"Those who believe that expelling Arafat will pave the way for a solution are disillusioned," he said. "His expulsion will pave the way for anarchy. Frankly speaking, no Palestinian leader will be able to lead negotiations that would result in realistic and expectable outcome except Arafat."

Mubarak first flew to Amman for talks with King Abdullah II, then to Syria, where he met with President Bashar Assad, in a bid to forge an Arab consensus on a possible Mideast peace conference and democratic reforms in Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority ( news - web sites).

Maher said he hoped that U.S. President George W. Bush ( news - web sites)'s Mideast policy announcement, not expected before Thursday or Friday, will refer to a final, not provisional solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. He also said Bush should set a deadline for peace negotiations.

"What is provisional is the Israeli occupation. The Palestinian state should be permanent and sovereign with Jerusalem as its capital," Maher said.

Bush envisions a step-by-step process on Palestinian statehood, with each step conditioned on changes designed to develop a democratic state that would live in peace alongside Israel. His proposal will make hefty demands for Palestinian reforms, making them a requirement for statehood, said a senior White House official.

Bush is considering proposing a specific date for Palestinian statehood, though aides say he is leaning toward leaving the deadline vague.

Meanwhile in Cairo, Arab information ministers meeting at the Arab League headquarters reiterated their support for Palestinian resistance of Israeli occupation, saying that only an end to occupation will bring about an end to Palestinian suicide bombings.

"Our position is clear: what (the Palestinians) do as a form of resistance to occupation is a legitimate right and is not terrorism," Safwat el-Sherif, Egypt's information minister, told reporters. "We condemn occupation and incursions. Security in the region will not be achieved without the return of all rights to their ... people."

The information ministers, who oversee state media policy in the Arab world, were meeting to discuss the implementation of a common Arab media strategy approved by the Beirut Arab summit in March.

The strategy — devised last August to deal with what Arabs call "fact falsification" of the Arab-Israeli conflict by the Israeli government and media — was never implemented. Lebanese Information minister, Ghazi Aridi, said "political differences among Arab states, and different readings" of the conflict have delayed the implementation of the policy. He did not elaborate.

[SouthernFreebird]

......Arabs condemning Israelis........ Why I'm just shocked.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Egypt, Jordan condemn Israel's military escalation

Yeah, the Israelis are really escalating the conflict, primarily by being near enough to homicide bombers to get blown up.

[Shryke]

I like the part about Egypt's information minister stating the suicide bombings are not terrorism. I guess that's like a b-job in the oval office not being "sexual relations".

It's a joke anyway. Who cares at all what these two countries have to say about the conflict? The only thing that both countries are good at is losing wars.

[A CA Guy]

Most of Egypt was once Israel. Jordan is mostly filled with what we know as Palestinians.

So let Jordan or Egypt shut their yap and give them a home in their own lands.

I bet they would be building walls themselves in short order.

I think we are going to eventually be involved in a WW3 consisting of modern cultures against the 700AD culture of radical Islam.

[PhilDragoo]

The Palestinian state should be permanent and sovereign with Jerusalem as its capital

Let's see. . .Arafat tried to take over Jordan, so Jordan doesn't want Amman as the capital.

Egypt's papers routinely praise Hitler--and fault him for not finishing the job.

Now, Egypt and Jordan squint through the looking glass from their Orwellian rat holes where the sky is red. . . .

. . . and "condemn Israel's military escalation". . . .

I missed their condemning blowing up innocent civilians--oh, that's right: They praise that.

Then they should welcome all the Palestinians with open arms--at least until the Palis start shooting five year old Jordanian and Egyptian girls in their beds. . . .

[ThinkDifferent]

Excellent. When a nation is condemned by radical Islamic fundamentalists, that's a pretty good sign they're on the right track.

[DoughtyOne]

Okay Egypt, Jordan, want some? Either be a part of the solution or get ready to rumble.

[nov7freedomday]

"Our position is clear: what (the Palestinians) do as a form of resistance to occupation is a legitimate right and is not terrorism," Safwat el-Sherif, Egypt's information minister, told reporters.

...aa ..bu ...nevermind :(

[Toddsterpatriot]

Meanwhile in Cairo, Arab information ministers meeting at the Arab League headquarters reiterated their support for Palestinian resistance of Israeli occupation, saying that only an end to occupation will bring about an end to Palestinian suicide bombings.

Land for peace means no peace, no land.

[taxcontrol]

I wonder how many of the mass killings will go by before groups of Israel nationalists start conducting their own bombings in retaliation. I know if someone in my family was killed by a bombing, I'd be building a remote control airplane with about 2 lbs of steel balls and a small explosive to fly over the funeral procession for the bomber.

I dont think that it would take very many such retalitory bombings before their funerals would be held in doors and not be such public displays. Also, it's easier to say "I will die for my cause" than to realize that if you carry out the attack, you could be causing the death of many of your friends and family.

Israel can only stand by for so long.

[Malcolm]

You reap what you sow, boys and girls. If arab infidels want to blow themselves up, it will NOT be without payback/cost. I'm sure the Israeli government will not infinitely put up with this garbage. If they put the entire population of the West Bank in a camp it would NOT break my heart.....

[fightinJAG]

Amen.

Which line to help the Palestinians are Egypt and Jordan standing in?

When are the Arab brothers going to give anything but rhetoric to the Palestinians?

[fightinJAG]

Exactly. I know a person who suggested that for every homicide bomber, a covert mission be undertaken by Israel or her surrogates to track down and KILL the homicide bomber's entire family. Or at least kill as many members of the bomber's family as the number of Israeli civilians the bomber killed.

Sounds harsh. But one has to wonder what else possibly could disincentivize these kids from blowing themselves up---knowing mama and papa and brothers and sisters will bite the bullet, too?

Throughout history many regimes have used this tactic (killing the family) with sucess, usually to prevent disloyal acts or other betrayal.

When you see the photos of Pali parents and their smiling children---with the kids wearing fake shaheed belts for fun---it seems the next generation will be even more eager to murder and die.

[galt-jw]

this can be easily explained by taking a personal perspective.

if someone keeps punching you in the face, and you cant escape or negotiate, the solution is not to block the punches.

the solution is to eliminate the source of them.