Jerrold Kessel: Sharon trying to convict Arafat in court of public opinion

Jerrold Kessel

ANALYSIS

CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel, who is based in Jerusalem, gives his take on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's mission in Washington.

WASHINGTON -- "Ariel Sharon was welcomed with a 19-gun salute on the Pentagon lawn; he immediately responded by firing back a propaganda barrage that aims to undercut the legitimacy of his Palestinian partner," writes Israeli analyst Chemi Shalev of the first day of Sharon's first visit to Washington as prime minister.

The projecting of Yasser Arafat less as partner and more as a rival is very much the direction of this new Israeli administration.

VIDEO CNN's Jerrold Kessel reports on the U.S. visit of Israeli Prime Minister Sharon Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     AUDIO Sharon is confident that Bush agrees there should be no talks while violence continues 463K/43 sec. AIFF or WAV sound    TIMELINES Recent acts of violence in the Middle East:  • Bombings  • Activist deaths    RESOURCES Timeline gallery: Israeli leader Ariel Sharon

And that appears to be the main thrust of Sharon's goals on this visit -- to convince President Bush and his top advisers that Arafat, personally, and his Palestinian Authority, are directly responsible for the current de-stabilizing violence.

Going into his meeting with the president on Tuesday, a buoyant Sharon appeared hopeful he has a good chance of doing just that. He's confident also that Bush and his administration have no quarrel with the Israeli argument that peace negotiations with the Palestinians can't resume as long as violence persists.

Sharon's hard-line Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau declares: "Yasser Arafat is the partner of Saddam Hussein, the partner of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the partner of the Taleban. They all want to destroy Israel, they all want to harm the interests of the U.S." Sharon may not use such frank language during his visit to Washington, but the message is similar.

Sharon, in contrast with his volatile past image, is doing his best to project calm reasonableness. During his terms as defense minister and foreign minister over the past two decades, Sharon was cold-shouldered by Washington as an obstacle to Mideast peace. Still, Israeli hopes are high that as prime minister, Sharon will be viewed as a man with whom Washington can see eye-to-eye.

Palestinians are watching and listening to the messages coming out of Washington with mounting concern. They say that Sharon tried, by military means, to destroy Arafat and the PLO in Lebanon in the 1980s and is now trying to destroy him by stirring up public opinion against him.

Palestinians "expect the Bush administration to take the threats of the Sharon agenda seriously," says Madi Abdul Hadi, director of the Passia Academic Society.

More immediately, Palestinians will be anxious to learn how successful Sharon is in his bid to get President Bush to embrace a long-term interim accord based on non-belligerency, rather than an all-conclusive peace agreement with Arafat that had eluded their predecessors, Ehud Barak and Bill Clinton.

Both sides are interested to see just how soon Arafat -- who was a constant visitor at the White House during the Clinton administration -- will be invited to follow Sharon to meet with the president and his top officials in Washington.

Sharon seeks Bush approval for measured moves with Palestinians
March 18, 2001
Sharon prepares for U.S. visit
March 17, 2001
Palestinians press for U.N. security force
March 16, 2001

Palestinian National Authority
Israeli Prime Minister's Office

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