Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat met last night for the first time. The meeting was held at the Erez Junction, at the border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. On Sunday, Minister of Defence Yitzhak Mordechai is to meet with Arafat to discuss the redeployment of Israeli troops from Hebron. Tomorrow, the joint steering committees are to officially meet for the first time.
Although Netanyahu and Arafat last night expressed their sides’ commitment toward the peace process, neither offered any details as to how it would be conducted. Netanyahu reiterated to Arafat that the security of Israeli citizens was a vital condition for continuation of the process. "If security breaks down, the whole peace process will break down," he said.
Reactions to the Netanyahu-Arafat meeting in the Likud party were diverse. Minister of National Infrastructure Ariel Sharon defined the meeting as "a mistake." Minister of Science Benny Begin’s reaction was sharper. "Netanyahu is acting against the fundamental guiding principles of the government he heads," he said, "we’ve started something that will be hard to stop."
Minister of Defence Yitzhak Mordecai, however, praised Netanyahu for the step, adding that the Prime Minister "should have already met Arafat a long time ago."
Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, sharply attacked during the run-up to the elections for meeting with Arafat, said yesterday: "The meeting is a moral victory for our (Labor party’s) way. We will support Netanyahu from outside the coalition, if he continues on the road to peace."
Peres slammed Netanyahu for the propaganda war the right-wing political parties conducted against the late Yitzhak Rabin in the months and years before his assassination. "Bibi should apologise to Rabin. Why did they incide against him? They cheated and lied in the run-up to the elections."