Sharon Calls To Congratulate Abbas on Election Victory

This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The New York Sun

JERUSALEM, Israel – Prime Minister Sharon called Mahmoud Abbas yesterday to congratulate him for his landslide victory in an election to replace Yasser Arafat, signaling Israel’s readiness to work with the new Palestinian Arab team after years of boycotting Arafat.


Both sides said a meeting will take place, but no date was set.


Mr. Abbas’s election victory on Sunday and Mr. Sharon’s success this week in putting together a government that favors his plan to pull out of Gaza and part of the West Bank this summer have raised hope the two leaders can break through layers of mistrust built up over four years of Israeli-Palestinian Arab violence.


However, both sides face internal problems. Palestinian Arab National Security Adviser Jibril Rajoub resigned, and critics in Mr. Sharon’s own Likud Party complained that his new government cannot survive without support from doves and Arab parties – their bitter rivals.


Mr. Sharon congratulated Mr. Abbas “on his personal achievement and his victory in the elections and wished him luck,” said a statement from Mr. Sharon’s office, adding, “They agreed they would continue talking in the near future.” Prime Minister Qurei said plans for a Sharon-Abbas meeting were still in an early stage. “When the right time comes, we will go for a well-prepared meeting. We will not go just for a meeting, but for a useful one,” he said.


Messrs. Sharon and Abbas last met in August 2003, during Mr. Abbas’s brief term as Arafat’s prime minister. Mr. Abbas resigned shortly afterward, blaming Arafat for refusing to hand over authority and Israel for failing to accept his demands to ease restrictions and release Palestinian Arab prisoners.


Israel refused to negotiate with Arafat, accusing him of encouraging attacks against Israelis. The last meeting Arafat had with an Israeli prime minister was in 2000. In Washington, Secretary of State Powell said Mr. Abbas failed as prime minister because Arafat “was in the way.” Mr. Powell told Fox News if Mr. Abbas fights those who support violence, “the United States will be able to support him.”


Before daybreak today, Israeli tanks entered Gaza City briefly, and soldiers arrested two Palestinian Arabs, witnesses and Palestinian Arab security officials said. One gunman was slightly wounded by Israeli gunfire, they said. Mr. Abbas, widely considered more moderate than Arafat, has spoken out against violence, calling attacks against Israel a mistake.


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