Posted on 01/26/2002 10:44:29 PM PST by IcommGen
(8:00) Zinni: PA is a mafia and Arafat is its leader
The Palestinian Authority is a mafia, and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat is the leader of the mafia, US special envoy Anthony Zinni said today.
Zinni made his remarks after his planned visit to the region was suspended by US President George W. Bush.
Sources in the prime minister's bureau expressed satisfaction with the decision, saying it will help in the war against terrorism. However, diplomatic sources said it could lead to more bloodletting on both sides.
The US administration threatened over the weekend to impose sanctions against Arafat, from closing the PLO's offices in Washington to totally cutting off relations, if he fails to prove he is making a concerted effort to fight terrorism.
Meanwhile, security forces remain on high alert throughout the country in response to intelligence warnings of planned terrorist attacks.
Police are out in force, especially along the Green Line, Tel Aviv, and Jerusalem.
Late last night, Palestinian terrorists lightly wounded an Israeli Arab taxi driver in a shooting attack between Peduel and Alei Zahav in Samaria, Army Radio reported.
If virgil is worried, Bush must have been doing something right
After getting the range of opinions, Bush will say "Colin, I've decided against your position, but I continue to support the good work you are doing. Thanks."
A step in the right direction; bad comparison.
If I were a mafia don, I would consider suing Mr. Zinni. Traditional mafia was not ever involved in terrorism. Mr. Arafat is substantially more evil than anything Italians ever managed to produce.
Bush's Global Strategy Began to Take Shape in First Frantic Hours After Attack
And here are the most important words in the article to me:
Like his father, Bush tries to keep a daily diary of his thoughts and observations. That night, he dictated:
"The Pearl Harbor of the 21st century took place today."
I have no fear for my country or where it is heading. After 8 years of Clinton's moral equivalency, which ended in complete failure, we finally have some people in charge that don't want to put up with his murderous BS.
Although I have no reason to doubt the credibility of the Jerusalem Post or IcommGen, I find this report very hard to believe, and would very much like to see some corroboration.
If true, it's a stunning thing for a diplomat to say, at the very least. I wouldn't expect any future negotiations or discussions between Zinni and Arafat after a statement like this.
Imal
Imal
However, I have this really bad feeling that things are going to get messy over there in the Middle East.
I pray that the other Arabs will sit this one out and let Israel clean up the territories. I believe that following the reconquest of the territories, Israel should begin a long, long process of 're-educating' the Palestinians (removing the hate from the next generation and introducing democracy within the territories) in the same way that the Allies re-educated (de-nazified) Germany and Japan, following World War II.
Perhaps if done right, the next generation of Palestinians will be ready for peace.
I think it is fairly clear that the governments of both the US and Israel expect that Arafat will get his wish re: martyrdom, either in a fire fight, or possibly by assassination by some of the more extreme islamic groups, fed up with Arafat's incompetence and corruption. It is very hard to discuss things with a rotting corpse!
I support this President big time even if I agree with him just 90% of the time =o)
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