Israel’s Army Radio Monday quoted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak as having told U.S. President George Bush that Yasser Arafat had caused his people great suffering, and that Mubarak would personally work to overthrow him if the Palestinian leader failed to carry out reforms within the structure of the PA.
The report, unconfirmed by other news sources, came as the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prepared to meet Bush later on Monday, amid an intensifying debate within the U.S. administration about what direction to take in its Middle East policy.
The radio quoted Mubarak as having said in weekend meetings with Bush that Arafat had disappointed Arab leaders. But Mubarak added that he still believed that Arafat should be given a final chance to prove his leadership, the radio reported.
Meanwhile, Israel responded coolly to Arafat's cabinet reshuffle, the appointment of a general to head a streamlined security force and the arrest of a leader of Islamic Jihad.
"If we see fundamental change in the behavior of the Palestinian security forces in which they intercept the attacks against Israel and not collaborate with them, we'll know that something big has occurred," Dore Gold, a Sharon adviser, said, according to Reuters. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
