A Friend To Both Sides
June 4, 2002
CIA director George Tenet held talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Tuesday on building a unified Palestinian security force. Washington wants this streamlined unit to combat suicide bombings against Israel.
Tenet, who met Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Monday, is on a mission that US President George W. Bush said was aimed at building a united Palestinian force "that will fight terror".
The Palestinian Authority has nine separate and sometimes rival security services. Israel accuses them of allowing, and at times, playing a role in attacks on Israelis. Palestinian officials have said Israel's five-week West Bank offensive from late March to early May and the daily rolling raids into Palestinian cities that have followed made it impossible for the security services to function.
The US and European nations have contributed millions of dollars to the Palestinian security forces, and are expected to provide more funds. But they are also expected to closely monitor how the Palestinians go about overhauling these forces.
Friendly criticism
Tenet's talks follow a visit by the European Union Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana, as part of a joint diplomatic effort with the US, the United Nations and Russia to seek support for a Middle East peace conference.
After meeting Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on Sunday, Solana said that "we are pencilling in the possibility of a conference" at foreign minister level in the second half of July.
But media reports in Israel indicate that the country does not place a lot of trust in the EU. The most important partner at the moment is rather Germany's Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer.
Fischer has been in the Middle East at least a half a dozen times. Usually, only significant European capital cities enjoy such a high number of visits by a Foreign Minister.
Last week, he received an honorary degree for his efforts "against racism and anti-Semitism" from Haifa University (photo).
Both Israelis and Palestinians call Fischer a friend. One of the keys to this popularity – which also makes his negotiating tasks easier – is his demeanor.
Fischer does not shrink back from uncomfortable remarks. But his criticism remains friendly and polite. Even though he has had to acquire his knowledge on the region since he took office in 1998, and sometimes speaks in clichés, his communicative skills make up for any drawbacks.
Attempts to move forward
Israel has said it will only resume peace negotiations with the Palestinians if the violence against Israel stops. It is also demanding wide-ranging reforms within Arafat's Palestinian Authority.
Prime Minister Sharon is expected to repeat these demands when he meets US President George W. Bush at the White House next week. His visit there last month was cut short by a suicide bombing near Tel Aviv that killed 15 Israelis.
Sharon said on Monday he expected that after Tenet's Middle East tour, the US would assess prospects for peacemaking and "certainly try to reach a decision" on how to move forward.
Meanwhile, Washington criticized new construction of Jewish settlements in annexed East Jerusalem. State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker said the measures were "not helpful" to reducing tensions with the Palestinians.
Construction on the controversial newbuildings in the Arab-dominated Djabel Mukaber in the eastern part of Jerusalem began on Monday under strict police protection.
Jerusalem's Mayor Ehud Olmert dismissed any criticism for allowing the construction to begin in such turbulent times. "This is private property, no Palestinians will be driven out, nothing will be taken away from anyone," he said. He added that the timing for the construction was a coincidence. "These are building plans that were approved many years ago."