Has Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat agreed to move from Ramallah to the Gaza Strip? Some PA officials said Sunday that Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, who is expected to visit Ramallah soon, will suggest taking Arafat to the Gaza Strip in an Egyptian military helicopter. They said the proposal is aimed at preventing an IDF raid on Arafat's headquarters. "There are rumors that the Egyptians are trying to work out a deal that would allow Arafat to move to the Gaza Strip without being harmed," said one official. He said he did not know if Arafat would accept the proposal.
| My guess is that he won't... |
Another senior PA official said Egypt was holding behind-the-scenes talks with the PA and Israel in order to prevent a situation where the IDF would move into the compound. "The Egyptian government is worried that [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon would try to assassinate or deport Arafat," he explained. "They are aware that such a move would lead to a serious deterioration in the region."
| We're talkin' serious negative numbers here... |
The official confirmed that Suleiman is planning to visit Ramallah, but said no date has been set yet. He said the Egyptian emissary would deliver an important message from President Hosni Mubarak to Arafat, but refused to elaborate. Quoting Palestinian sources in Ramallah, the Lebanese daily newspaper An-Nahar reported Sunday that Suleiman will arrive to Ramallah aboard an Egyptian military helicopter to transfer Arafat to the Gaza Strip. The paper said the move was designed to prevent an Israeli attack on Arafat's compound. |