- WASHINGTON (UPI) - After
weeks of equivocation, the U.S. government has quietly released to Congress
a report refuting the Israeli claim that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
was directly implicated in the funding and planning of attacks against
Israeli civilians.
-
- But State Department officials Wednesday told United
Press International that U.S. agencies were analyzing documents Israel
says proves Arafat's complicity. "If the documents provide us with
something we would revise the report," a State Department official
said.
-
- The report, published Tuesday, on the compliance with
commitments made by the Palestin Liberation Organization as part of the
now moribund Oslo Peace Process, says "there is no conclusive evidence
that senior leaderships of the (Palestinian Authority) or PLO were involved
in planning or approving specific acts of violence."
-
- Required under the 1989 PLO Commitments and Compliance
Act, the report is released twice a year to Congress. The latest findings
cover the period from June 16, 2001 to Dec. 15, 2001. No similar legislation
exists with regard to Israel.
-
- The report goes on to say that there is some evidence
that lower level Palestinian Authority officials "fomented violence
at some points, while working to bring it under control at others."
-
- The State Department's finding directly contradicts Israel's
claims about documents it says it seized last month in its military incursions
into the West Bank.
-
- Those documents, posted on the Israel Defense Force's
website and released to the media, bear what the IDF says is Yasser Arafat's
handwriting on two separate funding requests for individuals associated
with the Tanzim, the militia wing of Arafat's Fatah party. The Tanzim have
claimed responsibility for shooting attacks on the Israeli town of Giloh
as well as ambushes of Israeli civilian and military busses.
-
- Indeed, last month the IDF personally captured Fatah
General Secretary Marwan Barghouti on charges that he commanded the Tanzim
to carry out attacks and assist other terror groups.
-
- Palestinian officials have disputed the authenticity
of the documents.
-
- The State Department report says, "While there is
no conclusive evidence that the senior PA or PLO leadership approved or
had advanced knowledge of planned attacks, the weight of evidence would
indicate that they knew of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Tanzim and elements
of Force 17 involvement in the violence and did little to rein them in."
The report goes on to say that there is no evidence that these elements
were disciplined either.
-
- Testifying in closed session before the House International
Relations Committee Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State William Burns
was peppered with questions from lawmakers for his opinion of the Israeli
documents, according to two House staffers.
-
- Arafat's alleged complicity in attacks on Israeli civilians
is one of the reasons why Israel has said it will no longer negotiate with
him. Both Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush have said
that the Palestinian Authority needs to be reformed as part of any progress
towards a peace deal. Arafat promised such reform Wednesday.
-
- Copyright © 2002 United Press International
|
