Courtesy of ISN Israel News
U.S. President George W. Bush says he will soon issue a formal invitation for Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Mahmoud Abbas to visit the White House.
However, Bush is stressing Palestinian Authority Chairman Yassir Arafat is not welcome in Washington.
He says he will not meet Arafat after the way in which Arafat treated then American President Bill Clinton.
Speaking to NBC television, Bush was referring to the 2000 Camp David talks, in which Arafat walked out.
Clinton told the world’s media that then Israeli leader Ehud Barak had been prepared to give everything but Arafat had refused.
The Palestinian Legislative Council is scheduled to meet in the next few days to ratify the appointment of Mahmoud Abbas and his cabinet.
Israeli security guard Alexander Kostyuk will be buried in his native Ukraine, his parents told reporters last night.
23-year-old Kostyuk was killed in yesterday’s suicide-bombing attack in Kfar Saba.
He prevented the terrorist from entering the town’s new rail station.
Police say the casualty toll would have been far higher if not for Kostyuk’s bravery.
Israeli police officers say they have concrete warnings of more than 50 terror attacks in the planning.
Roadblocks have been thrown around many of Israel’s largest cities over the last 48 hours.
Israeli soldiers arrested three terrorists in the Gaza Strip last night.
The soldiers stopped a car near Gush Katif and asked the men to get out.
All three were arrested.
Fifteen weapons were found inside the vehicle.