Israeli Ploy on Arafat Backfires

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By Nicholas Watt

Guardian
July 15, 2003

Tony Blair's hopes of improving relations with Ariel Sharon suffered a blow last night when the prime minister was forced to rebuff an attempt by his Israeli counterpart to persuade Britain to sever all contact with Yasser Arafat. In a sign of Britain's fragile relations with Israel after a series of rows, Mr Blair told Mr Sharon over dinner in Downing Street that Britain would continue to deal with the democratically elected president of the Palestinian Authority.

On the first day of a three-day visit to Britain, Mr Sharon tried to win British support for his policy of isolating the Palestinian president when he asked Jack Straw and Mr Blair to prevent officials meeting Mr Arafat. A senior Israeli official accompanying Mr Sharon told the news agency Reuters: "Any contact with Arafat weakens [the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud] Abbas." But Mr Straw rejected Mr Sharon's request during a mid-morning call on him at his hotel. "We made clear that the UK position, which is also that of the European Union, is that we will continue to have dealings with Mr Arafat, who is the democratically elected president of the Palestinian Authority," said a Foreign Office spokeswoman. Mr Blair believes privately that Mr Arafat has become a liability, unlike Mr Abbas, better known as Abu Mazen, who is fully committed to the US sponsored "road map" which charts the way to a Palestinian state. But Britain takes exception to being told who its officials should meet.

Mr Sharon's campaign to isolate Mr Arafat appeared to be running into further difficulties last night when Mr Abbas declared an end to his rift with Mr Arafat, which had threatened the "road map". "The disputes are over and things are all right," he said after meeting Mr Arafat at his devastated headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. His declaration shows that Mr Arafat, who feared that Mr Abbas was caving in to US pressure, will still play a significant role. But it also shores up Mr Abbas's position, ensuring that the US's preferred choice as Palestinian leader in the "road map" negotiations will remain in place.

Amid the encouraging developments in Ramallah, Britain did its best to talk up Mr Sharon's visit, which is de signed to repair relations after a series of damaging rows. Mr Blair and Mr Sharon had a "very warm and constructive" 2-hour dinner in Downing Street. Greeting Mr Sharon, Mr Straw said: "We know the huge amount of work you have been doing to help, in very great difficulties, the peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians." But at dinner, Mr Blair urged Mr Sharon to dismantle Israeli settlements in the West Bank, release Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, and halt construction of a 210-mile security fence in the West Bank. Only a handful of the estimated 60 outpost settlements have so far been taken down, and Israeli peace activists say many have already been rebuilt.

The official accompanying Mr Sharon said Israel was prepared to reward Mr Abbas for brokering a ceasefire by Palestinian militants by releasing 300 prisoners. But this falls well short of Mr Abbas's call for all 6,000 prisoners to be freed. Israel has made clear that no prisoners with "blood on their hands" would be released. But the official signalled Israel might loosen the terms after Mr Sharon meets Mr Abbas next week. Mr Sharon's visit to Britain underlines Britain's new influence in the Middle East. Mr Blair is widely seen in Israel as having played a key role in persuading President George Bush to endorse the "road map".