• Official Palestinian Radio News: The Voice of Palestine (V.O.P.) February 8th
• Official Palestinian Radio News: The Voice of Palestine (V.O.P.) February 9th
• Assessment; The Attitiude of the Palestinian Authority Towards the Israeli elections by Michael Widlanski

Thursday Midnight News Round-up, February 8/9

• "His Excellency President Yasser Arafat receives two telephone calls-one from President George Bush and one from his Secretary of State Colin Powell dealing with the peace process;
• Mr. Nabil Abu-Irdeineh, the president's advisor, underscores the necessity of the Israeli side adhering to the source authority of the Peace process and implementing the resolutions of international legitimacy;
• Israeli aggression continues against our people and their possessions and several are wounded in attacks by occupation forces;
• Egypt calls on the Israeli prime minister-elect to embark upon a policy of negotiation based on what was reached with the previous government."

Morning Headlines, 7 a.m. / 8 a.m. / 9 a.m.

• "His Excellency President Yasser Arafat receives two telephone calls-one from President George Bush and one from his Secretary of State Colin Powell concentrating on the peace process;
• The President's advisor, Nabil Abu-Irdeineh said the two presidents-Arafat and Bush-exchanged ideas on the peace process especially after the change in the Israeli government, agreeing to keep up contacts between them (Arafat and Bush);
• From their points of view, both Minister of Information and Culture Yasser Abd Rabbo and Home Rule Minister Dr. Saeb Erikat said both of them that negotiations with the Israeli side would not resume except from the point at which they left off in Taba;
• Heavy Israeli shelling from the settlement of Psagot last night fell on residents of Jabal Tawil in El-Bireh, wounding two citizens.;
• In Hebron and Qalqilya, seven citizens were wounded, two seriously, in confrontations with occupation forces using gas;
• Occupation forces arrested five citizens in Jericho and the Ghor Valley last night;
• Two residents of Khan Yunis were arrested according to military sources when they tried to enter the settlement of Jedid south of the city;
• Israeli sources say that the explosion in west Jerusalem Thursday night led to the wounding of one person, and the White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer said the explosion was reminder of the need to reach permanent and just peace in the Middle East;
• Both the new prime minister Ariel Sharon and the outgoing prime minister Ehud Barak rushed to place responsibility for the incident on the (Palestinian) National Authority;
• The American State Department announced that Washington no longer sees the proposal of the former American president Bill Clinton as a source authority for the peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and the Clinton thoughts will not return to play a major role in American proposals;
• Likud candidate Ariel Sharon wins with 62.3 percent over resigning prime minister Ehud Barak, and by a margin of 24.7 according to final results announced last night by the Israeli Central Election Commission;
• Egypt calls on the Israeli prime minister-elect Ariel Sharon to embark upon a policy of negotiation based on what was reached with the previous government;
• From his point of view, Egyptian Defense Minister Mushir Tantawi said the Egyptian army was able and ready to respond to any foreign aggression and to respond to anyone foolish enough to attack Egypt;
• First meeting since the election today between Ariel Sharon and Ehud Barak;
• Syrian President Bashar Assad said he believed it was possible to start a new political style in Syria, sharing power with the Ba'ath Party."

Quote of the Day "Any negotiations with the Sharon Government have to proceed from the point left off at Taba..This is the way to security and stability in the region." (Arafat advisor and spokesman, Nabil Abu Irdeineh in statement to Voice of Palestine-aired constantly on February 8 and February 9)

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"From their two points of view both Minister of Information and Culture Yasser Abd Rabbo and Home Rule Minister Dr. Saeb Erikat said both of them that negotiations with the Israeli side would not resume except from the point at which they left off in Taba," declared the V.O.P. announcer in the midnight news round-up, 12:03 a.m. Friday, February 9.

V.O.P. reported in a very low-key way (Thursday/Friday Midnight round-up) that the Administration of President George Bush asserted that the Clinton proposals were source authority for the peace process. But the report did not mention that Clinton himself and Ehud Barak seconded this view. In addition, V.O.P. and the PA continue to assert that unsigned Taba "understandings" with Barak ARE BINDING on the as-yet-unconfirmed Sharon Government.

Regarding last night's car bombing in Jerusalem, V.O.P. continued in its policy of not condemning the act, adding that no one had taken credit for it. V.O.P. noted that the White House Spokesman Ari Fleischer had said the act showed the need to renew the peace process, without mentioning any American condemnation of the bombing.

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Before the Election

On the one hand, the PA took no official position on the contest between Sharon and Ehud Barak.

On the other hand, Senior PA officials such as Yasser Abd-Rabbo and Saeb Erikat focused on the dangers of Sharon's potential election, and the Voice of Palestine ran detailed profiles calling Sharon a mass murderer whose intent was prosecuting endless war against the Arabs.

On the one hand, the PA took no stand against the planned boycott or organized blank-ballot led by the Israeli Islamic movement and various Israeli Arab political parties, respectively.

On the other hand, the PA and the Voice of Palestine missed few opportunities to suggest strongly that the election-especially of Sharon-would have a pivotal impact on the "peace process" and on the "struggle to achieve our national goals."

Why did the PA adopt a two-tier policy before the election?

Perhaps for three reasons:

• It did not want to be accused of interfering in Israeli affairs, especially when trying to help Barak would only have backfired anyway;
• It did not try to make a frontal effort to overcome Israeli Arab boycott and blank ballot plans because it was likely to fail, and there is almost nothing Yasser Arafat hates more than to be shown to be suffering temporary political impotence among his own people;
• The poll figures in Israel (which once again showed a pro-Left bias beyond the purported statistical error-the 18-point poll edge will become a 26 or 27-point official margin of victory after soldiers' ballots are counted) made it unrealistic for Arafat to risk any more of his political capital by supporting a sure loser (Barak) and unnecessarily angering a sure winner (Sharon).

After the Election

On the one hand, PA President Yasser Arafat is taking a "we-respect the-choice-of-the-Israeli-people" tone.
On the other hand, Arafat's top minister and advisors are saying that the Israeli election means nothing and that Sharon must implement even unsigned Barak-Arafat understandings.

On the one hand, Arafat and his advisor Nabil Abu-Irdeineh insist that they want peace.
On the other hand, Arafat's top ministers and field officials-Saeb Erikat, Nabil Sha'ath, Yasser Abd-Rabbo and Marwan Barghouti-say the "Independence Intifada" will not only not stop but actually escalate until the Palestinians achieve total Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 frontiers, including first and foremost Jerusalem, dismantling of all settlements, and "the return of the refugees to their homes."

On the one hand, Arafat says he wants comprehensive peace-"salaam kamil wa-shamil."
On the other hand, Arafat and his top officials make it clear that they will not accept any interim settlements or staged withdrawals or phased agreements, and they will be ready to increase violence that will endanger regional stability. They hint broadly at effects on oil prices and a regional war.

On the one hand, they insist that they never accepted the Clinton proposals for an Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
On the other hand, they insist on the Clinton proposals as the starting point for further Israeli concessions. On the one hand, they call for an increased American role to push Israel into compliance.

On the other hand, they insist and invite the European community, Russia and the United Nations (especially Kofi Anan and Mary Robinson) to impose a settlement on Israel and to investigate, try, convict and punish (NOTE: Arafat and his Justice Minister Freih Abu-Medein are willing to skip straight to the punishment phase) Israeli war criminals.

Conclusions

Does this mean that war or even unending Palestinian-Israeli confrontations are inevitable?

Not necessarily.

Despite the fact that Arafat's popularity actually rose with the rise in violence, the Palestinian-Israeli War of Attrition has caused severe internal crisis in the Palestinian camp.

There is a possibility that a new balance of power, a new balance of deterrence/aspirations may be struck between Arafat and Sharon, especially if Sharon is able to consolidate his government.

But this will require Sharon overcoming tremendous obstacles, and it will also require Arafat to lessen the expectations of his people, while re-educating them to the idea that "cooperation with Israel" is not something for which one will face a firing squad.

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