-Caveat Lector- : The religious mind of Arafat : By Zvi Barel : Israel has adopted a convenient position regarding the violence in the : territories: There are no such things as spontaneous riots; everything : is : planned and directed from above. According to this position, there is : only : one situation that deviates from the meticulous planning of the : Palestinian : Authority and that is when "matters get out of hand." In such a manner, : Israel wishes to relinquish all responsibility for the reactions of the : PA.But PA Chair Yasser Arafat did not ask for Ariel Sharon's visit to : the : Temple Mount and currently needs a military confrontation like a hole in : the : head. Experience has taught Arafat that such confrontations usually : force : him to toe the line with the more extreme elements in his camp. His : control : over the situation is now being put to the test, not only in the eyes of : the : Israelis, but mainly, from his point of view, in the eyes of those : countries : whose recognition he is seeking for a Palestinian state. Violent : conflict : unravels the unity of the Palestinian position, which Arafat has only : managed to maintain with much effort. : Nevertheless, at the present stage of the negotiations, the PA could not : afford to ignore Sharon's official tour. Sharon's walkabout on the : Temple : Mount, escorted by Israeli security forces and passing without any : reaction : from the Israeli prime minister, was, according to the Palestinians, : tantamount to the construction of another settlement, the opening of a : tunnel or the expansion of a Jewish neighborhood in East Jerusalem - the : establishment of a fact on the ground in a place where the facts are : blurred : and serve as stumbling blocks in the negotiations. : In the eyes of the Palestinians, the fact that Israel - which has set : itself : an iron rule to prevent, even forcefully, any provocative visit to the : Temple Mount - permitted Sharon's visit can mean only one thing. The PA : clearly explained the consequences of this visit to Israeli : representatives. : The Temple Mount is not merely a political site waiting for a legal : formula : that would settle the question of sovereignty over the area. The Mount : and : its mosques are at the very heart of the Islamic faith and as such, they : are : the joint baby of the Palestinian Authority, the Islamic movements and : all : Islamic states - each one of which is laying claim to the site. In : Arafat's : view, his responsibility toward Israel on this matter is far less than : his : responsibility toward the Arab states and toward his civilian rule, in : the : face of the challenge posed to it by the Hamas and other extremist : movements. : Arafat's fear - which should be shared by anyone concerned about the : future : of the holy sites - is that if he fails in the diplomatic struggle over : the : Temple Mount, extremist Islamic elements will cash in on the situation, : and, : in the name of the struggle for the Temple Mount, they will take over : the : entire peace process as well. : Television interviews given by leaders such as Hassan Nasrallah, Sheikh : Ahmed Yassin or Khaled Mashal, the ayatollahs of Iran and even the : central : Islamic stream represented by Sheikh al-Azhar of Egypt - calling, on the : one : hand, for Jihad and professing their willingness to make peace with : Arafat : if he continues the armed struggle against Israel, on the other - are : evidence of the complexity of the dilemma that Arafat now faces. : If he does not react to what he defined as Israeli provocation on the : Temple : Mount, he will not be able to present himself to the Arab world as a : secular : leader worthy of controlling the Islamic holy sites and will not be able : to : request and receive Arab support for his diplomatic decisions. : On the other hand, when he reacts as he has in recent days, he embarks : on a : collision course with Israel and the United States, while making new : "friends" among the leaders of the Islamic movements. Arafat is better : at : handling situations that he defines as diplomatic provocations. When : these : are transformed into religious provocations, the familiar situation of : "matters getting out of hand" ensues. : The events of the past days are, therefore, no more than a campaign of : restraint and response, and are not an attempt to secure new gains. The : Temple Mount has not become any more Israeli or any more Palestinian as : a : result of these riots. Just like in previous incidents, the level of : response cannot be controlled by an exact scale outlined by Arafat in : his : office. The street has its own criteria, which are not necessarily : determined by the significance of the event that sparked the response. : All : that now remains is the urgent need to reach an arrangement that will : bring : the conflict back to its diplomatic proportions and not cause it to : deteriorate into a religious battle <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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