Abbas Seeks Arafat's Permission to Crack Down on Militants

(Miami Herald) - Abbas and Arafat met in Arafat's headquarters Thursday to develop a joint strategy on dealing with militants. Abbas needs approval from Arafat if he wants to move against the militants, since Arafat commands the loyalty of Palestinian security agencies, particularly on the West Bank. Israeli leaders said they wouldn't settle for Palestinian leaders' usual round of condemning terrorist attacks. "If they don't act decisively against those who support or perpetrate terror attacks, any chance or vision of a Palestinian state will be lost for another who knows how many years," senior Sharon adviser Zalman Shoval warned. "It's very obvious now that the rules of the game have changed," said PA Security Minister Dahlan's spokesman Elias Zananiri. "The days of conducting dialogue with Hamas and Islamic Jihad over a cup of coffee are over."


2003-08-22 00:00:00

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