Arafat calls on Pope for backing in Christmas showdown with Israel

afp via yahoo ^ | 12/23/2001 | afp

[KQQL]

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat tried to enlist the backing of Pope John Paul II in a Christmas showdown with Israel, as he vowed to defy an Israeli ban on him attending midnight mass in Bethlehem.

Israel, which blasted his helicopters in an air raid on Gaza City three weeks ago and then ringed his West Bank headquarters with tanks, said Arafat cannot make his traditional appearance at the Bethlehem service until he arrests the killers of a cabinet minister.

"No one can prevent me from reaching Bethlehem," Arafat told reporters in Ramallah, where he has been under virtual house arrest since the December 3 raids blitzed his Gaza heliport.

The 72-year-old Palestinian leader had filed an official request on Saturday to attend the midnight service in Bethlehem, in the Franciscan church of Saint Catherine next to the Church of the Nativity, which according to Christian tradition was built on the site of Jesus' birthplace,

"It is my duty, and I will see to it that I fulfil it," he said on Voice of Palestine radio. "I will go there even if I have to go on foot."

However, Israel's security cabinet rejected his bid to make the visit he has made every year since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1995.

"The security cabinet made its decision based on the fact that Arafat is not working to dismantle terror organizations and to foil terror attacks against Israel and to arrest and punish terrorists, including the murderers of tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi," a government statement said.

The Israeli media said the vote was close, however, with eight opposed and six in favour of avoiding a public showdown with Arafat, whose international support has began to climb back since hitting rock bottom this month amid a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings.

Israel wants Arafat to arrest the fugitive militants who gunned down Zeevi in Jerusalem on October 17, and also arrest Ahmed Sadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian, which claimed the assassination in revenge for Israel's killing of his predecessor.

A senior Palestinian security official told AFP there were intense discussions underway with his Israeli counterparts, who had been informed of Arafat's determination to make the journey despite the security cabinet's decision.

The official said they had told the Israelis Arafat was prepared to drive to the Israeli army checkpoint at Qalandiya, on the northern edge of Jerusalem, for a public face-off if necessary.

And Palestinian cabinet secretary Ahmed Abdul Rahman appealed to Pope John Paul II to intercede to allow Arafat, a Muslim, to attend the mass.

"I call on the Pope to intervene to stop this attack on religious traditions and against the Palestinian people. We condemn this very strongly and the Palestinian people are angry," he said.

However, an official in Sharon's office told AFP that Arafat was refused because he knew where Zeevi's killers were hiding, only a few kilometres from his compound in Ramallah, but Arafat was not making the arrests.

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres has publicly declared he is against banning Arafat from attending the religious celebrations.

[klee]

Heh heh heh. I've never heard that before, but it sounds absolutely correct

:-). Merry Christmas 2sheep!!

If you think about it. Most of these terrorists are the 'softly spoken' type. Amazing how they turn into the most crazed lunatics once they hit our countries.

[Torie]

This thread overall is a total embarrassment, particularly on Christmas Eve. Just my two cents.

[lavaroise]

It's not my attitude the problem, it's the Vatican's. But there are some improvements of late:

Pope says: NO VIOLENCE IN GOD'S NAME

Am I to interprete this as a condemnation of Arafat's diatribe in the name of Christmas because he could not go to Bethlehem in the name of Christmas and Jesus. I sure will take it that way. Oh and there is this one too:

"``Today my thoughts go to all the children of the world: so many, too many are the children condemned from birth to suffer through no fault of their own the effects of cruel conflicts,''

I suppose this means he condemns Palestinian using children rock throwers as proto-Khmer Rouge and advocacy of suicide bombing for children Pali Khmer Rouge. Who knows, maybe my attitude has something with it. If not, so sue me.

I never understood how can one have a good attitude of peace when Arafat aka Hamas/Dr.Mengele's boss wants praise for his little experiments and walk to Bethlehem in the name of Christmas.