Albright is coming . Hamas arrests while Levy and Netanyahu fight it out
Palestine, Politics, 9/8/1997

Both the Palestinian National Authority and Israel have been busy preparing for tomorrow's visit to the region by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. As Israeli troops increased their presence in Jerusalem and along the line dividing East and West Jerusalem and between Arab and Jewish neighborhoods in the city, police intelligence officers said they believe Hamas will try to launch further attacks timed with Albright¹s visit to the region. The PNA, for its part, conducted a number of arrests among known members of Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, and the Islamic Jihad. PNA officials denied reports that the arrests were conducted arbitrarily and said that all those detained were held upon specific information that reached the PNA. "They will all be questioned and if found clean, will be released," said Faisal Husseini, the PNA minister in charge of the Jerusalem portfolio. Husseini said the PNA would never carry out arrests and put innocent people in prison just to appease Secretary Albright but only out of security considerations.

Albright is due to meet with President Arafat in Jericho on Thursday and the PNA has taken very tight security measures in preparation for the meeting. Dr. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator who had just returned from Washington from a preparatory trip prior to the visit of Albright confirmed that the US Secretary of State will raise a number of issues in her talks with region leaders. "She is arriving with a comprehensive agenda in her brief case, which covers items on security as well as issues related to UN Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and also the unilateral steps the Israeli government has taken with regard to Jewish settlement construction and confiscation of Arab land," he said.

PNA President Yasser Arafat, meanwhile, sent a message to Israeli Foreign Minsiter David Levy reiterating his commitment and that of the PNA to fight "terror." Palestinian sources said the letter was sent through Dr. Saeb Erekat. They noted that Arafat confirmed the PNA's commitment to the Oslo Accords and praised the stand reflected by Levy a day earlier in the Israeli cabinet meeting when he spoke against those who had voiced statements saying the Oslo Accords are dead.

David Levy, Israeli press sources said, expressed his fury over statements that the Oslo process is dead. He said he refuses to be part of a government which is allowing the peace process to die or even actively destroying it. Israeli papers said on Monday that the relative moderation of the rhetoric by sources close to the PM is a result of this signal by Levy to Netanyahu.

Levy is also furious at reports generating in Washington saying that Madeleine Albright might cancel her meeting with him. Foreign Ministry officials are fuming over recommendation by people surrounding Secretary of State Albright who have been pressing in recent days to cancel a planned meeting with Levy. Right after Levy's fury came to the knowledge of Netanyahu, officials in his office sharply denied any involvement of the Prime Minister or his men in efforts to put up a barrier between Levy and Albright.

On a number of occasions in the past, Levy had expressed his discontent at the way he was neglected by the prime minsiter and his staff, mainly in the sphere of peace talks, which the foreign ministry considers itself to be an integral part of all its phases.

Previous Stories:
  Cairo summit gathers 3 Arab leaders   (9/8/1997)
  Blast follow-up   (9/5/1997)
  Albright to meet Gulf foreign ministers   (9/5/1997)

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