Palestinian Officials Express Concern Over Their Leader's Fate

Palestinian officials have expressed concern over the fate of their leader following the U.S. veto of a resolution that called on Israel to retract threats, expulsion, or assassination of Yasser Arafat. They fear that Israel may interpret the U.S. veto as a green light to kill Arafat. On Tuesday, the U.S. vetoed the resolution proposed by Sudan and Syria, stating that it did not explicitly condemn Palestinian terrorist organizations that kill Israelis. However, Washington claims it opposes the elimination or expulsion of Arafat. Meanwhile, the Israeli government postponed a security cabinet meeting that was supposed to decide on the route of a new section of a security fence that Israel intends to build in the West Bank. Arab leaders criticized the U.S. action in vetoing the resolution that urged Israel to refrain from harming Arafat or expelling him. Omar Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, stated on Wednesday in Cairo that he hopes the veto does not signify Washington's support for Israel's policy of expelling the head of the Palestinian Authority. The U.S. opposes Israel's actions but claims the resolution was not balanced. Arab politicians argue that the U.S. veto undermines Washington's credibility as a mediator in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Arafat dismissed the U.S. vote on the resolution as insignificant and rejected it.