Posted on 04/16/2004 3:09:16 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
MAALE ADUMIM, West Bank -- Palestinian President Yasser Arafat vented his anger Thursday at President Bush's Middle East policy shift, saying Palestinian refugees would never give up their right to return to their former homes in Israel.
In a televised speech, Arafat vowed defiantly that Palestinians would follow the path of their "martyrs, cadres, strugglers and mujahideen" and not abandon their goals for "freedom and national independence."
"Security, peace and stability will only be achieved through the restoration of our occupied land and usurped national rights and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state, with its capital holy Jerusalem," Arafat said during ceremonies marking the anniversary of the death Abu Jihad, a prominent leader in the campaign for Palestinian statehood.
On Wednesday, Bush endorsed a plan by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to move 7,500 Jews from their settlements in the Gaza Strip and withdraw some Israeli troops from the seaside enclave that is home to 1.3 million Palestinians.
At the same time, Bush reversed decades of U.S. policy and gave Washington's backing for Israel to keep some settlements in the West Bank. He also dismissed the right of Palestinians to return to their former homes in Israel.
In an exchange of letters with the visiting Israeli leader, Bush also condoned Israel's construction of a barrier to stop Palestinian militants' attacks against Israelis.
In November, Bush had urged Israel "not to prejudice final negotiations with the placement of walls and fences."
Bush's endorsement was roundly condemned by Palestinian militant groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which called it "part of the American-declared war against Islam and... in harmony with the American terrorism against our people in Iraq." "We expect the United States to play honest broker. We accused it before of not being balanced. Now we can't even say that. The United States has adopted Israel's position," said Hesham Youssef, a senior Arab League official in Cairo.
At the United Nations, Kofi Annan expressed reservations about Bush's move, with his spokesman saying the secretary-general "strongly believes" that the parties to the conflict should refrain from taking steps that would preempt the outcome of negotiations based on Security Council resolutions.
In Israel, Bush's warm embrace of Sharon boosted the Israeli premier's chances of winning endorsement for his so-called "disengagement plan" in a May 2 referendum among members of his right-wing Likud party.
Also Thursday, Israeli army gunfire killed a 19-year-old Palestinian in the Rafah refugee camp on the Gaza-Egypt border, witnesses said. Relatives said he was unarmed.
The military said soldiers shot at a Palestinian who opened fire on them.
Earlier, an Israeli helicopter fired two missiles during a raid at the Rafah camp, wounding at least 20 Palestinians, Palestinian hospital officials said.
The army said it had fired one missile at an open field to keep Palestinians away from ground troops and a second missile at a group of three militants. Troops pulled out of the camp after nightfall Thursday, residents said.
He's doomed - if an Israeli bullet doesn't get him, old age will for sure. It's only a matter of time.
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