Respected Palestinian editor Abel Atwan reveals why Arafat signed the Oslo accords - in the hope that thousands of Jews would be forced to flee Israel.
Atwan also discloses that Arafat formed the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in response to an attempt to marginalise him after the failed Camp David summit in 2000.
A respected Palestinian editor revealed over the weekend that Yasser Arafat told him in 1994 that he agreed to sign the Oslo Accords because he was hoping the agreements would force thousands of Jews to flee Israel.
Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi, said Arafat made his remarks when they met in Tunis, a few days before the PLO returned to the Gaza Strip.
"I met with him in his office at around 3.00 a.m.," Atwan recalled.
"The man told me, 'Listen, Abdel Bari, I know that you are opposed to the Oslo Accords, but you must always remember what I'm going to tell you. The day will come when you will see thousands of Jews fleeing Palestine. I will not live to see this, but you will definitely see it in your lifetime. The Oslo Accords will help bring this about.'"
Atwan points out that Arafat's policy may be realised.
"The Jews did not escape from Palestine by the thousands as President Arafat predicted. But they have started packing their bags to run away from the Gaza Strip and some settlements in the West Bank. There are also signs of emigration to Europe, the US and Canada following the suicide bombings and the sense of insecurity among Israelis."
Yes, terror is the selected tactic because it works, it is not selected out of desperation or poverty. It ensures Israeli responses, which the Palestinians leverage to dress themselves as hapless victims, ensuring that they will never be expected to make any compromises at the negotiation table.
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