BEIRUT, 30 March — The world breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National Guard, announced that he had received assurances from the United States that Israel would not harm Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
The crown prince’s statement came after Israel attacked the Palestinian Authority headquarters in Ramallah, West Bank with troops and tanks.
“We received a promise from the United States that Arafat will not be harmed,” Prince Abdullah told reporters in Beirut, where he had been attending the annual Arab League summit. “They promised us good and positive things, and that they will take steps,” said Prince Abdullah.
The crown prince blasted Israel’s attack on the PA headquarters and said it was an example of Israeli oppression that breeds bombers.
“What is happening is a savage, despicable, inhuman and cruel act. I don’t think any human being can accept this at all,” Prince Abdullah said, adding that if Arafat were killed or arrested it would not end the Palestinian uprising against Israel.
“Whether he’s removed or not, the resistance to occupation will continue. Every Palestinian is a Yasser Arafat,” he said. He said Arafat spoke to him yesterday about the situation in Palestine. “We told him, you have to be patient. We also promised him all support. I told him about my contacts with the United States,” the prince said in an interview with Saudi Television and Orbit television.
He underscored the strong 60-year-old relations between Saudi Arabia and the US and hoped that President Bush would take “a just stand” on the Palestinian issue.
Referring to yesterday’s attack on PA headquarters, he asked: “Where is President Bush and Gen. Zinni. There should be a power to settle between the two sides. This is the time when it makes clear who is the aggressor.”
The prince voiced his confidence that Israeli military action will not affect the new Arab peace plan.
Prince Abdullah said he hoped the Israeli people wanted peace so they will embrace his plan for the Middle East.
“I believe what will convince the Israeli people the most are the interests of the Israeli people. The Arabs have extended their hands for peace with all sincerity. Do the Israelis want peace and security or not, that is the main issue,” he said.
“The people of Israel have feelings and they will respond positively to this because if this opportunity is lost the consequences will be negative.”
He said he hoped US President George Bush, who has adopted a hands-off approach to the Arab-Israeli conflict, would step in to help bring an end to the violence.
Asked about Israel’s initial rejection of his plan, the crown prince said it “does not represent the view of the Israeli people”.
“It represents one person, a criminal drenched in blood,” he said in reference to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. “It does not represent the Israelis at all.”
“There are good people among the Israelis. But this man is devoid of everything. He has no brain, no humaneness and no morals,” he said about Sharon.
He said the humiliation suffered by Palestinians under occupation bred suicide bombers. “What is happening is unbelievable... What makes people do these things is the oppression, injustice and humiliation which is perpetuated by Sharon,” Prince Abdullah said.
“We should not lose hope,” he said while expressing his feelings over the Israeli attacks on unarmed Palestinians.
The crown prince said that despite escalating violence he was confident that in the long run there was a chance for a peace like the one proposed in his plan.
“Regardless of the circumstances and what is happening, in the end justice and fairness will prevail. People who look ahead to the future do not get disappointed. I am not disappointed,” he said.
“I am confident that the Arab people believe that justice is coming inevitably, if not today, tomorrow; if not tomorrow, in a month, if not then, then in a year.”
Prince Abdullah urged the Israeli people to accept the new peace initiative, “because they are now in need of peace more than Arabs.”
He said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was the first to support his peace plan.
Referring to his embrace of Iraq’s Vice President Izzat Ibrahim during the summit in Beirut on Thursday, he said it was a message to the Iraqis and President Saddam Hussein. He advised Baghdad to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors.
