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| Middle East |
| Arafat not affected by IDF |
| 2002-06-17 |
| Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, termed as not completely stable, appears unimpressed with Israeli military might or U.S. diplomatic pressure. A new study by the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism says Arafat is not intimidated by Israeli or U.S. pressure. The profile of Arafat said the Palestinian Authority chairman can be somewhat influenced by economic pressure and by a personal appeal from Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. "Spectacular military operations — such as air strikes, massive fire directed at targets in the areas of the Palestinian Authority — have a limited effect on Arafat," the report said. "He knows the limitations of Israel's power and in situations of confrontation feels at his best, tends to take risks, and is willing to make sacrifices, more so than in normal circumstances." The profile recommended that Israel's military stage limited precision operations. The study said this would undermine Arafat's sense of control. Yasser's convinced that the Israelis won't — nay, can't — kill him. Chances are Twiggy slim that they'll toss him out of the country. And if a bunch of his countrymen are blown up or shot, what the hell? It's not him, and he doesn't even know most of them. If Yasser is showing signs of Alzheimer's, he's not going to get any more coherent than he is now. And the chances of a big miscalculation on his part increase, approaching the point of certainty within the next two or three years at the outside. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |