Daily WATCH! Volume 2 Issue 42, Wednesday, February 27, 2002
---------------------------------------------------------------------
ARAFAT ACKNOWLEDGES ISRAEL'S SOVEREIGNTY OVER WESTERN WALL
By Randy Loudenslager
What may be the greatest single aspect of the Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Abdullah's peace proposal is that Yassar Arafat has for the first time acknowledged a willingness to concede sovereignty of the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of the Temple Mount to Israel. Most of the media has focused their attention on the requirement in the proposal for Israel to pull back to her pre-1967 borders in order to achieve the peace she so desperately craves. Like all political gamesmanship this component of the proposal has deal making leverage built in, giving both sides a starting point and room to save face. What few are looking at is the dangling carrot of Jewish sovereignty over aspects of Jerusalem (The Jewish Quarter) and the Western Wall that entices even Israel's right wing parties to consider the proposal.
The Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall are considered by Israel to be non-negotiable. Arafat has always maintained that all of Jerusalem will be Palestinian and this also is non-negotiable. So for the Palestinians to offer up parts of their choicest claims may prove to be too much to resist for the Israelis. The Saudi initiative is now in the hands of America who has already shown initial favor towards the proposal. President Bush has already called Crown Prince Abdullah on behalf of Ariel Sharon in order to learn of the proposal in greater detail and the Crown Prince has acknowledged that the offer is valid.
Israel's enemies smell her desperation for peace and acceptance and are moving in with their deal. This sudden unity of the Arab world behind the Saudi initiative should raise more than the few eyebrows it has raised thus far. This unity reveals the extent to which the Islamic/Arab nations are collaborating and their singular focus on Israel. This isn't about Yassar Arafat or the Palestinians anymore. This is about Islam's dream to make Israel no more and it's about Satan's desire to conquer God's chosen people and establish his throne on Mount Zion.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Our web resources site: http://lastday.info
E-mail: randy@lastday.info