OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 17 December 2003 — Israel yesterday barred Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem for a third straight year, as Egyptian mediators once more pressed reluctant Palestinians to halt attacks on Israel.
With efforts to revive peace talks at a standstill, Israeli leaders sent a mixed message to the Palestinians: Israel is ready to negotiate but will take unilateral action if peace talks fail.
Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who has advocated a unilateral pullout from occupied lands in recent weeks, warned the public to be ready for extremely painful concessions. He said “tens of thousands” of settlers in the West Bank and Gaza would be uprooted.
Meanwhile, violence continued in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers fired at a crowd of in the Balata refugee camp, critically wounding a 12-year-old boy in the head, Palestinian hospital workers said.
Arafat told a Christian delegation at his sandbagged headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah that he hoped to take part in the Christmas festivities this year in Bethlehem, the traditional site of Jesus’ birthplace.
An Israeli official confirmed the Palestinian Authority had requested that Arafat be allowed to make the 12-mile (20-kilometer) trip from Ramallah to Bethlehem. Israel’s policy is that “Arafat stays where he is,” the Israeli official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. “He’s free to go, but it’s not guaranteed that he’ll be able to return.”
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, called Israel’s decision “unfortunate.”
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei has made the travel issue a priority. Enabling Arafat to move around once again would strengthen Qorei’s public standing as he tries to restart peace talks with Israel.
Since taking office in October, Qorei has been considering a summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. But the two sides have been unable to agree on the terms of such a meeting.
Qorei has also been trying to persuade Palestinians to halt attacks on Israelis, a crucial first step toward resuming talks on the US-backed road map peace plan.
In Gaza, the Egyptian delegation arrived for separate talks with Arafat’s Fatah faction, and the Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups.
Samir Masharawhi of Fatah said the Egyptians had relayed a message that the US is ready to help support a Palestinian initiative.
