They must wearing winter jackets in Hell today. I never thought Alouette would agree with Tommy Lapid.
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Posted on 11/06/2004 8:57:22 PM PST by SmithL
Israel is putting together a package of humanitarian gestures for emerging new leaders in the Palestinian Authority, although these stop short of allowing Yasser Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem, government sources said Saturday.
Officially, neither the Prime Minister's Office nor the Foreign Ministry will discuss the gestures, or anything to do with Arafat's death and its aftermath.
But Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom have announced that he will not be buried Jerusalem or even in neighboring Abu Dis, once considered a possible site.
Palestinian cabinet member Kadoura Fares said that if Israel were flexible, Arafat's burial could be an opening for a new relationship with the Palestinians.
"Israel has the chance to make far-reaching gestures," he said. If it does, he said, "Palestinians will take notice."
Labor MK Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) called on Sharon to allow Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem in exchange for a cease-fire.
It would be a goodwill gesture, Pines-Paz said, that would show Israel is willing to work together with the Palestinians, and it would force the Palestinians to take the important decisions with respect to fighting terrorism that would impact their future.
Palestinian officials said publicly that it is inappropriate to talk about funeral arrangements as long as their 75-year-old leader clings to life.
One official said they are hoping to enlist international support for a burial at the Aksa Mosque compound, Islam's third-holiest shrine, which is built on the ruins of the biblical Jewish temples.
The top Muslim cleric in Jerusalem, Mufti Ikrema Sabri, said Arafat requested burial near the mosque when the two met four months ago. His comments marked the first official assertion of Arafat's burial wishes.
It is not clear if Arafat has left a written will, and Sabri said he was not aware of one.
Sabri said he does not expect Israel to honor what he said were Arafat's wishes. "The Israelis didn't respect President Arafat alive, and we don't see them respecting him when he's dead," Sabri said.
Justice Minister Yosef Lapid on Friday ignored Sharon's request to remain silent on the matter, when he told the media that Arafat "will not be buried in Jerusalem because Jerusalem is the city where Jewish kings are buried and not Arab terrorists."
A government source said that just as the United States would not allow for Osama bin Laden to be buried in the Arlington National Cemetary in Virginia, Israel would not allow Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem.
MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud), who heads the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, opposes a Jerusalem burial because it would help legitimize Palestinian claims to the city.
On Friday evening, CNN quoted US State Department officials as saying that representatives from France, the Palestinian Authority, and Israel were negotiating over where Arafat will be buried and the logistics of his burial.
But a government source said that Israel has received no request to bury Arafat in Jerusalem. The source said that reports about international negotiation on the matter are just "a lot of rumor and speculation." "If there is an approach, Israel will deal with it with seriousness and respect," but will still not allow a Jerusalem burial, the source said.
A government source said low-level working negotiations are ongoing with Palestinian security officials regarding funeral arrangements. Israel is also looking for ways to prevent violence at the funeral. No-high level negotiations have taken place, the source added.
Arafat's clan, the Al-Kidwas, are originally from Gaza, though the Palestinian leader grew up in Jerusalem and Cairo. The family has a small plot of 25 to 30 graves in the southern Gaza town of Khan Younis. The overgrown patch is in the middle of a busy vegetable market and would not be considered appropriate.
Other burial options include a seaside plot next to his old headquarters in Gaza City, or Gaza City's "martyrs' cemetery" east of the city. Israeli security officials said Gaza is the only burial option.
Army officials also oppose burial elsewhere in the West Bank, in part because Palestinian security forces would have trouble protecting the large numbers of foreign dignitaries expected for the event.
Palestinian police function better in Gaza, but a funeral there would still pose a security nightmare for visiting heads of state. There has been increasing chaos in recent months in the coastal strip, with groups of gunmen and security chiefs battling for control ahead of a planned Israeli troop withdrawal next year.
Military officials said they would ease travel restrictions on Palestinians during the funeral, but if the burial is in Gaza, only officials – and not the general public – will be allowed to travel there from the West Bank to attend. If the funeral is in Ramallah, the Palestinian public will be allowed to participate, but will have to endure rigorous checks at roadblocks, the officials said.
Under "Operation New Leaf," drawn up to deal with Arafat's death, the army has already begun decreasing its presence in Palestinian towns and cities, security officials said.
Oh, Barf. Why do they deserve *any* goodwill gestures from Israel? For once I'd like to see them show a goodwill gesture toward the Israelis. LIke, letting its citizens live in peace without threat of getting their heads or limbs blown off.
CNN - earlier reported that he had come out of coma and was asleep - wish they would say why that statement was put out - and to what group of people -
One minute he's brain dead - the next he's not - Must be more planning is needed -
Mathew 7:6
Give not that which is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before the swine, lest they trample them with their feet, and turning round rend you.
Or in the AinI transliberalation:
Don't give Gaza to Arabs, or gifts to terrorists, for they will just spit on them and kill you.
They must wearing winter jackets in Hell today. I never thought Alouette would agree with Tommy Lapid.
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The perfect good will gesture that they could give to Israel would be to turn on each other and engage in a complete slaughter. Any survivers could get their donkeys out of Israel and return to the abyss of Arabia where they were spawned.
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