The Palestinian leadership warned that Israel could gain from the postponement of the Arab League summit that was scheduled to begin on March 29. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yassir Arafat headed a meeting on the subject and issued a proclamation suggesting the outcome of the postponement could be “dangerous.” It said Israel will continue its policies which are destructive to the Palestinian cause and to the aspirations of the Arab people, according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa.
The summit was postponed on Saturday after Arab foreign ministers could not reach an agreement concerning a unified stand on a variety of issues, the most pivotal being a recent U.S. proposal promoting democracy and economic openness in the Middle East.
The Palestinian issue is also on the agenda of the summit, and possible peace overtures to Israel were another bone of contention among the delegates.
Egypt offered to host the summit in April after Tunis decided to postpone the gathering to an indefinite time.
Jordanian King ‘Abdallah said Israel’s assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yasin last week was aimed at frustrating the summit, according to an interview he gave to the London-based daily Al-Hayyat. “Israel does not want the summit to succeed,” he said. “They do not want peace, they just want to embarrass all Arabs in front of the world.”
He said the assassination was particularly disturbing since it took place just two days after the king met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Israel.