In a public announcement on Israeli public radio, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has vetoed an initiative to have Israel’s president, Moshe Katzav, address a session of the Palestine Legislative Council in Ramallah.
The initiative was proposed by Arab-Israeli politician Abdul Malik Dehamshe, and had gained tentative approval by both Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the Israeli President Katzav. However, Katzav said he would seek the approval of Israel’s Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, in order to proceed. The Israeli president was expected to call for a one-year ceasefire to be undertaken by both sides.
In a harsh rebuke publicized on Tuesday on Israeli public radio, Sharon said he forbade the President to appear before the PLC, and said that the President’s readiness to do so was extremely damaging to Israel. Sharon’s office later toned down the message, but declared that the decision to veto the appearance before the PLC was taken in order to “protect the dignity of the president and of the state of Israel”.
Israeli President Katzav was reportedly deeply offended by the out-of-hand manner of the Prime Minister’s rejection, saying at the least the proposal warranted deep consideration, according to Israel public radio. Katzav, who belongs to Sharon’s right-wing Likud party, has openly criticized the Prime Minster’s recent decision to prevent Arafat from traveling to Bethlehem and tried to convince Sharon to back down, but to no avail. The Iranian-born President Katzav seems to endorse a more pragmatic and conciliatory tone in the Israeli leadership. (www.albawaba.com)
