Posted on 10/18/2003 9:54:47 PM PDT by yonif
Three senior Fatah leaders, one of whom helped reach a deal with Israeli opposition figures last week, were to leave for Washington early Sunday for urgent talks with top US officials, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The invitation, which came as a surprise to the Fatah officials, was extended on Saturday evening. Ahmed Ghnaim, Kadoura Fares, and Hatem Abdel Kader were issued visas by the US Consulate-General in Jerusalem. A fourth, Muhammad Hourani, was invited but did not plan to go.
Fares and Hourani were both key figures in the Palestinian delegation that hammered out the Geneva Initiative with an Israeli delegation comprising politicians and intellectuals led by Yossi Beilin in Jordan last week.
The invitation to Washington came a few days after Israel protested against the Swiss involvement in the initiative.
Former Labor Party leader MK Amram Mitzna said that the Israelis involved, including himself, would likely also travel to Washington in the coming weeks to discuss the initiative with top officials.
Mitzna declined to reveal which Washington officials the Palestinians will meet, but said their visit is connected to advancing the initiative.
Abdel Kader said the team would also raise the issue of the security fence which Israel is building in the West Bank. He also said that the Fatah leaders will meet with representatives of the Democratic Party, as well as senior US officials.
This is the first time that top Fatah officials have been summoned to the US for talks on the latest developments in the region. Three of the Fatah officials – Abdel Kader, Fares, and Hourani – are members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
The fourth – Ghnaim – is a member of the Fatah "revolutionary council" who played a major role earlier this year in efforts to convince Hamas and Islamic Jihad to accept a temporary cease-fire. Abdel Kader told the Post that he and his colleagues would hold talks with US officials on the possibility of reaching a new hudna (cease-fire).
Noting that this would be the first time that senior US officials talk directly to Fatah leaders, Abdel Kader also said that the team would urge Washington to put pressure on Israel to lift the siege imposed on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Abdel Kader and his colleagues represent the "young guard" in Fatah who have long been sidelined by Arafat and the Palestinian leadership.
However, well-informed sources in Ramallah and the Gaza Strip said on Saturday that the Fatah officials have been involved in behind-the-scenes talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad over the past few weeks with the aim of reaching an agreement that would end terrorist attacks against Israel.
The talks were conducted under the auspices of the Egyptian government. The sources added that Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman is expected to head for Washington this week to brief US officials on the results of the secret talks with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.
Why are we inviting leaders of a terror regime (Palestinian Authority) to the White House? Why are we talking with terrorists? What kind of message do you think it sends the terrorists that after they murdered 22 people and injured dozens in the last 2 weeks using terrorism, they are still viewed as legitmite people?
How many Jews is it going to take for them to murder for the US to view that regime as enemy?
Who is negotiating the enemy's surrender. They do not intend on surrendering. They want to destroy Israel.
Would you want the US to negotiate a surrender with Al Queda?
Recent history shows the more Jews they kill, the more they are rewarded.
According to Wired News (http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=791811&tw=wn_wire_story)
"...they will meet U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Satterfield, former Middle East envoy Dennis Ross, who heads the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank, and Jewish leaders."
Satterfield is noted for his stance that "resistance is not terrorism."
Ross was awared the [Clinton] Presidential Medal for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service...Secretaries Baker and Albright presented him with the State Department's highest award.
So, in answer to your question, I'd say: you betcha! The leftists of Europe, the US, and Israel are collaborating with the Palestinian Authority and Egypt (et al) to launch a diplomatic offensive against the security interests of Israel. They will claim that the Intifada will be over if this is approved...thus claiming that Bush and Sharon are obstructionists to peace if they resist this accord.
I can just hear Howard Dean and the other demodwarfs now...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.