Arafat Meets Tenet, Urges End to Incursions

President Arafat Meets Tenet, Urges End to Israeli Incursions

04 June 2002 Palestine Media Center - PMC

President Yasser Arafat asked visiting CIA Director George Tenet to urge Israel to abide by UN Security Council resolutions and end it daily incursions into Palestinian cities and towns.

At a time during which American, European and international efforts are underway to bring about peace in the Middle East, Israel has persisted in its daily incursions, its closure, and its incessant aggression against a defenseless Palestinian People, with a devastated security apparatus.

During his meeting with Tenet in Ramallah today, 4 June, the President also outlined a plan for reforming Palestinian security services, proposing to halve their number and tighten supervision.

CIA Director George Tenet had arrived in Israel yesterday on mission to ensure reforms of the Palestinian security services, paralyzed by the recent Israeli incursions and invasions of Palestinian-controlled cities and towns. Yet the success of such a mission remains dubious while the Israeli occupation army continues its incursions and closure of Palestinian cities, which it has effectively divided into separated and isolated Bantustans.

Meanwhile, Palestinian officials have made it clear that in order to achieve reforms, the international community, namely the United States, ought to adopt a more balanced policy that would call for an end to Israeli closure, confiscation of land, home demolitions, and killings of Palestinian civilians.

"By concentrating on Palestinian internal reform, this policy overlooks the Israeli crimes being committed on a daily basis and aims to place the ball in the Palestinian court instead of providing a balanced alternative, which holds Israel responsible for its crimes," stressed Minister of Culture and Information, Yasser Abed Rabbo, in a press conference yesterday.

ENDS

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