William Burns' Meeting with Yasser Arafat - 2002-04-22

A senior U.S. official has met with Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader, who remains besieged by Israeli soldiers at his headquarters in the West Bank. Arafat's spokesperson stated that William Burns, the Under Secretary of State, is following up on discussions that Secretary of State Colin Powell had with Arafat the previous week. Powell has urged Israel to ease the restrictions on Arafat's movement, but Israel claims it will not lift the siege until Arafat hands over the assassins of the Israeli tourism minister. Israeli forces withdrew from most areas of Ramallah and Nablus yesterday, reducing the scope of their three-week operation aimed at crushing Palestinians responsible for a series of suicide bombings against Israelis. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stated that with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Nablus and most of Ramallah, the first phase of the Israeli offensive in the West Bank has been completed. However, Sharon indicated that the fight against terrorism, which he described as a different method, will continue. He did not provide further details on this matter. Israel asserts that its forces will maintain a severe military blockade of Palestinian cities to prevent any attacks against Israelis. Palestinian officials claim that the withdrawal of Israeli soldiers is merely a façade and that Israeli forces still control Palestinian areas. Currently, Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where about 200 Palestinians have taken refuge, remain under siege by Israeli forces.