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Palestinians Warn U.S. "Ambiguity" Plays In Sharon's Hands
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| U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell |
RAMALLAH,
West Bank, March 29 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat Friday accused the U.S. of okeying the
Israeli aggression against the Palestinian leadership and people.
His information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo criticized U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell's comments on Israel's assault on the
Palestinian leadership as "ambiguous."
Speaking
to Abu Dhabi Television, by telephone from his Ramallah office,
Arafat accused the United States of giving its consent to the
Israeli offensive.
"The
entire world should be aware that Israel does not, and cannot, act
without American consent," Arafat said, while Israeli tanks
were just two meters away from his compound.
For
his part, Abed Rabbo warned Powell's words would play into the hands
of hardline Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"There
isn't any clear position whether he (Powell) supports the aggression
against the Palestinian people and its leadership or they
(Americans) are against it," he told Agence France-Presse.
"Such
ambiguity is exactly what Sharon wants to continue his massacres
against the Palestinians people and its leadership," he warned.
Abed
Rabbo was speaking after Powell, reacting to Israel's tank invasion
of Ramallah and Arafat's West Bank compound, blamed the crisis on
Palestinian extremists (U.S. term describing Palestinian resistance
activists) attacking Israel.
"That's
what has caused this crisis to come upon us - not the absence of a
political way forward but terrorism in its rawest form," Powell
told reporters Friday at the hastily arranged State Department news
conference in Washington.
Powell
did not endorse Israel's incursion into the West Bank town of
Ramallah where Arafat's headquarters was under siege from tank and
machine gun fire, but made clear that Washington recognized Israel's
right to defend itself.
In
a clear sign that the U.S. administration had prior knowledge of the
aggressions, Powell said he received assurances from Sharon in
telephone call on Thursday that Arafat would not be harmed or killed
in the operation and that Israel had no intention of keeping its
troops in Ramallah.
"We
asked the Israelis to show the necessary restraint with respect to
that activity so that they do not put Chairman Arafat's life in
danger and they minimize loss of life with respect to
civilians," Powell said.
Earlier,
Palestinian top negotiator, Saeb Erakat, said that the U.S. silence
about the Israeli aggressions is very dangerous, because it is
explained as an encouraging sign to Sharon.
Reporters
were expecting Powell to comment on the massive Israeli escalation
on the ground. Powell, however, speaking after an urgent meeting of
President Bush's national security council, said, "The
president, I, all my colleagues, and the United States people
condemn in the strongest possible terms this series of terror
attacks including this morning's Jerusalem bombing and the other
acts of terrorism that have killed Israeli civilians".
Powell
then said he and Bush were "gravely concerned about the
situation today in Ramallah". Arafat said in a television
interview that seven Palestinians had been killed and more than 40
injured.
"We
deplore the killing and wounding of innocent Palestinians
there," Powell said.
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