Mecca? Is that where the telethon is being held to raise money for families of suicide bombers?
Posted on 04/13/2002 2:04:11 AM PDT by kattracks
WASHINGTON, April 13 (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delivered another implicit rebuke to the United States Friday, pledging not to allow any country to force decisions on Israel that might affect its security."Nobody will force upon us any decisions or resolutions that might affect our future," a defiant Sharon told CBS News in an interview.
"This nation is strong. Much stronger than our enemies believe," he added.
The statement came after a day of talks in Jerusalem between Sharon and visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell, in which the US envoy sought assurances of a quick Israeli pullout from Palestinian territories.
Sharon characterized the talks as "friendly" but said bluntly he did not believe any agreement with the Palestinians was possible as long as Yasser Arafat remained their leader.
"First I don't believe that one can reach peace with Mr. Arafat," argued the Israeli leader.
He said the Palestinian leader had been offered unprecedented concessions by former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak during their 2000 meeting at Camp David but turned them all down and instead "adopted a strategy of terror."
"With him we cannot reach any settlement, therefore I believe that it should have been an effort to find somebody else with whom it would be possible," Sharon stated.
The Israeli leader also made clear that foreign governments that continued to recognize Arafat as the Palestinian leader only delay finding a solution to violence in the Middle East.
"As long as leaders from all around the world would like to meet him, embrace him, talk to him, as long as that is happening it will take longer to find somebody that will be ready to replace him," Sharon said.
Powell had been planning to meet with Arafat, who remains besieged by Israeli troops in his Ramallah headquarters, on Saturday. But the meeting has now been postponed following another suicide bombing in Jerusalem on Friday.
Sharon also lashed out at foreign governments which, in his words, are concerned about Arafat's situation but worry little about Israeli victims of suicide attacks.
"I got many phone calls from heads of state complaining that Mr. Arafat is having only candles there," he said. "I have not got a call about a family -- father, daughter, son -- that were killed and the mother is in a very bad condition in hospital. Nobody said a word about it."
Back it up with deeds Mr. Sharon! Another suicide bomb - the Al-Aksa mosque goes up in flames, yet another - Mecca gets nuked! This will guarantee the peace for the next generation at least!
Maybe removal of settlement islands in the middle of arab camps would be a start Prime Minister....
Mecca? Is that where the telethon is being held to raise money for families of suicide bombers?
President Bush's war on terrorism, especially getting saddam, will have to wait because of the recent events in the middle east...
it is next to impossible now to gather support from the Arabs to go in for him and others that we know are involved in 911...
this will have dire consequences as they are now given new life and time to plot against The USA...
sharon could not have picked a worse time to do this...
How about we remove all the Arab Camps out of Israel? Makes more sense to me. But ole Sharon will not do that, yet. But if the Arab League and the Islamic Horde keep upping the stakes, this game is gonna cost the Horde big time.
You really don't get it do you? Saddam picked this time to accelerate the attacks on the Jews to daily killings in Jerusalem streets to deflect the attack on him. Have you not noticed that when we catch a terrorist and pull his strings the whole web of the Arab world vibrates? The idea of independant Nations is a western construct placed over the EMPIRE of Islam. Better start thinking Eastern if you want to understand your enemies.
perhaps the same as Sharon has felt being lectured by Bush. Go figure. Notice that Sharon suddenly has this talking point AFTER meeting with Colin. I am sure he got it "approved by Bush" before he ever opened his mouth. Bush is not as stupid as you think, and neither is Sharon. They are in a fight for our lives. Thank GOD it is not Hillery/Gore in control. Manhatten would be a new territory of Afganistan now while our taxes doubled to pay repatriations for the losses of the familys of the Saudi pilots.
I guess I don't...
GW is wise and measured...
Blaming Sharon for the lack of will in attacking Iraq is just lame. Moroever, did you see, before this Sharon offensive, a great interest in attacking Iraq in the foreseeable future from the Arabs, EUrotrash and particularly the Brits? All have been waffling and certainly EUrotrash shortly after a month of fighting in Afghanistan were undercutting any idea of attacking Iraq. Again before this Sharon offensive Bush gave his axis of evil speech and he was uniformally condemned by the EUrotrash, Arabs, Brits, etc. Sharon is a useful scapegoat as is Israel generally, that tiny country, in the Island of Pan Arab nazis.
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