| Submit your comments on this article |
| Middle East |
| Yasser still doesn't want to hand over his thugs... |
| 2002-05-01 |
| Yasser Arafat is reportedly refusing to hand over two senior figures holed up within his Ramallah command center to British and American jailers. Ahmed Saadat, head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine involved in the assassination of late cabinet minister Rehavam Ze'evi, and Fuad Shubaki, mastermind of the Karine A weapons smuggling plot, remain inside the compound at this time. If they hand them over to outside parties they might not let them go when Yasser wants to use them again. On the other hand, it's such a neat way of drawing the Americans and the Brits into the whole mess. Israeli and foreign journalists outside Arafat's compound continue to wait for the transfer of Saadat and Shubaki and four more Palestinian convicts into American and British custody. Hope they're not holding their collective breath. Yasser's inside trying to think up a reason not to do it that doesn't sound too stoopid. The four others were involved in the assassination of Ze'evi in Jerusalem Hyatt Hotel last October. They're relatively small fry. They can be replaced cheaply enough. Use once and throw away, y'know? Israeli military sources said Arafat changed his mind at the last minute and is now refusing to hand over the two senior figures, Israel Radio reported. Further evidence of his increasing senility? Or just his usual reflexive perfidy? Guess he couldn't think of any reason not to that sounded rational. Jerusalem Post reports: The transfer of the six Palestinians prisoners from Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's compound to a Jericho prison is underway. The transfer paves the way for the Palestinian leader's release from Israeli confinement, possibly by nightfall, a Palestinian official said this evening. Bleh. Shouldn't have done it. I'll bet GW still pulls Dad's finger... Now the PA can start working on springing them at some time in the relatively near future, probably as a concession in return for the cessation of a presently-undefined horrible action. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |