Report on Powell's Trip to the Middle East - 2002-04-17

Colin Powell failed to establish a ceasefire agreement between the two sides or compel Israel to withdraw from the West Bank, but at the end-of-trip press conference, he promised that the Bush administration would actively pursue peace that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state. Colin Powell stated that William Burns, the Under Secretary of State for Middle Eastern affairs, would remain in the region to continue the dialogue he had initiated. According to Colin Powell, George Tenet, the director of the CIA, would return to the area to help end hostilities. The U.S. Secretary of State questioned the value of a ceasefire without Israel's complete withdrawal from the West Bank, stating, "We could declare a ceasefire today, but while one side is still initiating operations that should have ended and the other side is not in a position to respond because the assault has not yet ceased, what does such a ceasefire mean? I hope this is in the process of ending, but at this moment, ceasefire is not the appropriate word." Colin Powell mentioned that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had prepared a timetable for troop withdrawal over the weekend, but there were unresolved issues regarding individuals in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem and Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah, whom Israel sought to arrest. The last leg of Colin Powell's trip was Ramallah, where he met with Yasser Arafat for the second time. After this meeting, Arafat told reporters that he was grateful for the U.S. efforts to establish a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians and for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the West Bank. However, he expressed anger over Israel's siege of his headquarters since last month and the repeated cutting off of water and electricity to the building. Arafat stated, "I must ask the entire international community. I must ask President Bush. I must ask the United Nations. Is it acceptable that I cannot go out this door? Is it acceptable? For how long? Do you see? Do you see?" Arafat said that the occupation of West Bank cities by Israel, especially the Israeli army's operations in Jenin and Bethlehem, is an international insult. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of obstructing Colin Powell's mission, which failed to establish a ceasefire between the two sides, stating, "Unfortunately, Sharon was not willing to withdraw. Sharon has no intention of withdrawing. Sharon is defiant. It is truly regrettable that all of the U.S. Secretary of State's efforts have been neutralized by Sharon's obstructions, and now we are witnessing Sharon's advance. Sharon says Jenin, 2 days, Ramallah 3 days, and the headquarters of Yasser Arafat and the Church of the Nativity are among his conditions. It is very regrettable." Colin Powell urged the Israeli Prime Minister to ease the conditions at Arafat's headquarters so that he could contact the Palestinians and emphasize the importance of stopping terrorism. Colin Powell stated that the violence has created obstacles to realizing the Palestinian dream and has closed the path to an agreement that would lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state.