http://uk.news.yahoo.com/021215/80/dgs3r.html Arafat accuses bin Laden of exploiting Palestinians LONDON (Reuters) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has ordered al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to stop exploiting the Palestinian cause to further his own interests. In an interview with Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, Arafat said he believed bin Laden and his al Qaeda network were using the Palestinian campaign for independence to gain support in the Islamic world. "Why is bin Laden talking about Palestine now? ...He never helped us. He was working in another, completely different area and against our interests," Arafat told the paper. "I'm telling him directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause," Arafat said. Arafat gave the interview after a purported al Qaeda statement was posted on the Islamist Web site www.azfalrasa.com, claiming responsibility for last month's bomb attacks on an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa, Kenya, that killed 16 people. "The operations send the message to the Jews that their corruption on earth, the occupation of our sanctities, the crimes against our Palestinian people...will not go unanswered and will be met many fold," said the statement, signed by the "Political Office of Qaeda al-Jihad". That statement was followed by a notice posted on a pro-al Qaeda Web site, www.mojahedoon.net, announcing the launch of an "Islamic al Qaeda Organisation in Palestine", which would "serve as a powerful basis for restoring the rights of our Arab and Islamic people in Palestine." "We declare that the squadrons of our martyrs will strike with all their might the Zionist and American arrogance in the region and that the blood of our men in Palestine, Afghanistan and Kashmir will not go unavenged," it added. U.S. intelligence officials told Reuters they monitored that Web site but could not say how credible the reports were. Arafat said that al Qaeda had tried to justify attacks by claiming they were part of a campaign to seize control of Palestinian territories from Israel. He also dismissed as "big, big lies" claims by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that al Qaeda had established a presence in the Palestinian-ruled areas of the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon. "Sharon wants to cover his military attacks against the Palestinian people with a new face. He knows that there are no relations between al Qaeda and Palestine." Bin Laden's al Qaeda network is Washington's prime suspect in last year's September 11 attacks on U.S. cities and has been blamed for a string of attacks on Western targets around the world. As well as the Kenya bombing, the group has been blamed for an attack in April on a synagogue in Tunis that killed 15 westerners and five Tunisians. But no attacks have so far been blamed on al Qaeda in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, where Palestinians have been waging an uprising against Israeli occupation for more than two years.
If al Qaeda sets up operations in Palestine, the violence in that region will reach unheard of levels. I think Arafat is now realizing that it is something he can no longer control. This is not good news.
I'm not that familair with the Middle East political structure, but my first reaction was that Palestine was fearing an American reaction to an Al Qaeda presence in their country. Which would seem to be a good thing?
Reminds me a little of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad. When Zawahri wanted it to join-up with bin laden, one of his lieutenants broke-off part of the group because they didn't want to go up against the US. Sharon and Arafat both understand the impact of associating al qaeda with the Palestinian cause. I hope that Arafat is effective; I would hate to see an additional hurdle for the Palestinian people.
Once again, Arafat is lying. This man would rather lie than eat. Al Queda's presence was exposed in Arafat's backyard last year when, for the first time, Israeli tanks were successfully blown up. This mine technology was traced to Afghanistan. In my opinion, Arafat would welcome his Muslim brother Bin Ladin in the fight against Israel. He just won't tell the truth about it to the West.
Great point, considering that Arafat reportedly has robbed the Palestinian people of 300 million+, and placed the money in his private Swiss bank accounts.
You are being too nice here... There have been other reports that Arafat is worth 10+ BILLION dollars.. He has palaces in France. What a joke.
OK...so Arafat is lying and al Qaeda is operating in the Palestinian territories...so what's the endgame here?
The endgame is simple. All humankind is to be subject to Muslim rule, and all infidels will be killed. Let the games begin!
More to the point...what do you guys think the US should do given that al Qaeda is there and operating and that the US is in the middle of a war on terror with even the most ardent leftists calling for us to take out al Qaeda?
You have obviously asked a HUGELY complicated question, but perhaps we can start by acknowledging that a cultural war between secular republics and tyranical theocracies has begun. Israel is a secular republic, with Arab Muslims serving in the Knesset. Any new Palestinian homeland will probably follow the lead of the other Arab League nations, and be a dictatorship controlled by Islamists. I think it is clear that we need to support Israel now, and view Hamas and Hezbollah in the same vein as Al Queda. This conflict is going to happen anyway, so we might as well confront the problem before the Islamists get nukes.
