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| Middle East |
| Whisper of betrayal as Yasser is shunned |
| 2002-05-03 |
| Yasser Arafat emerged from a month of captivity to make a victory tour of Ramallah yesterday. But it was shunned by most of the populace, amid whispers of betrayal. A small crowd of supporters joined him — only enough to fill the viewfinder of a television camera. There was no joy on the streets to celebrate the departure of the Israeli army after five months in the north of the city. Schoolchildren filled the gap left by volunteers. Looks better from a distance, doesn't he? And what's that smell? Abla Saadat, wife of Ahmed Saadat, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine who is detained in the Jericho prison, said the ditching of the Jenin inquiry was a betrayal. "It is not just me who thinks so. Ninety per cent of the Palestinians, even some people around Arafat think so," she told reporters. "For 50 years Israel never brought us to despair. But seven years of Palestinian rule has brought us to the brink. Did we achieve a victory? Did we end the occupation? Only from around Arafat's compound." Ummm... Maybe you're doing something wrong? |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |