Rula Amin: Israeli reaction to Arafat's column

CNN's Rula Amin

RAMALLAH, West Bank (CNN) -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat wrote an op-ed piece Sunday for The New York Times condemning terror attacks against Israeli civilians and stating "the Palestinian vision of peace."

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said Arafat's column provided an "element of interest" for Israel. He said Arafat's comment calling for an understanding of Israel's demographic concerns under any peace agreement is significant.

Ranaan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, dismissed the column as a publicity stunt.

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From Ramallah, CNN's Rula Amin spoke Sunday with anchor Miles O'Brien about Arafat's move and the Israelis' reaction.

AMIN: Yasser Arafat wrote this op-ed piece from his headquarters in Ramallah, where he has been confined for the last two months. He had been isolated physically and politically. On the ground, Israeli tanks are positioned less than 50 meters away from his office. Politically, he's under enormous pressure, especially from the United States, which has threatened to sever ties with him.

President Bush won't meet with him, so it seems Yasser Arafat is trying to reach the American public and U.S. officials, trying to tell them that he is the man to deal with. It displays his strategy -- he is willing to make peace, and he's willing to compromise. It was interesting enough that in this article he pointed to the issue of the return of Palestinian refugees. This is an issue that is a major concern for Israelis because they see the return of these refugees as a major threat to the state of Israel.

And in his article, he said Palestinians have to be realistic in respect to Israel's demographic concerns. This is an indication from Yasser Arafat that he would be willing to compromise on this issue even if the two sides get to sit on the peace table.

Of course, Mr. Arafat has also been trying to make the case that the conflict is not actually about him personally. He's trying to point to the Israelis and to the Americans that even if he disappears, there is still a serious conflict there that needs to be resolved.

We heard from a spokesman for Mr. Sharon -- who said that this was a PR stunt. And he said Yasser Arafat cannot buy his way out of Ramallah by writing an article.

From the Palestinians, there is concern here. They're trying to reach the U.S. officials before Mr. Sharon gets to Washington on February 7 [Thursday], where he's scheduled to meet with President Bush.

The Palestinians are watching this meeting very anxiously. They are concerned that Mr. Sharon will try to get a green light from the United States in order to take further steps against the Palestinian leader and the Palestinian Authority.