Ben-Ami, Arafat meet in Cairo Ben-Ami, Arafat meet in Cairo in bid to end ongoing violence
By Naomi Segal
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
January 19, 2001
JERUSALEM, Jan. 17 (JTA) — Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-
Ami and Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat held talks in Cairo
this
week in an effort to put an end to nearly four months of violence.
The previously unscheduled meeting Wednesday night came hours
after masked gunmen killed a close Arafat associate who headed the official
Palestinian television station.
Wednesday's session was arranged during a meeting earlier in the day
between Ben-Ami and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, Israeli
officials said.
Israel and the Palestinians have been looking for ways to reduce the
violence in the territories and narrow gaps in their positions on a U.S.
peace
proposal.
Ben-Ami told reporters in Cairo the talks with Arafat would aim to do
just that.
For all their differences, Israeli and Palestinian officials agree on
one
thing -- that they probably will not achieve any breakthroughs before
Israeli
elections next month.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's spokesman all but
ruled out the possibility of an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord before
Israel
holds elections for prime minister on Feb. 6.
Palestinian officials echoed the assessment.
A planned shuttle mission to the region by Middle East envoy Dennis
Ross last week was put on hold, pending progress in Israeli-Palestinian
security
contacts.
Meanwhile, the violence continued in the territories.
On Wednesday, masked gunmen entered a Gaza City hotel and gunned
down Hisham Miki, 54, the head of the official Palestinian television
station.
Miki, who was considered very close to Arafat, had headed the station
since 1994.
The motive for the killing was unknown. Palestinian security forces
launched a search for the assailants.
The Palestinian leadership issued a statement blaming collaborators
with Israel for the shooting.
The Israel Defense Force denied the charge, saying that Israel had no
link to the incident.
Israel had considered Miki largely responsible for frequent anti-Israel
broadcasts on his station.
In other violence, the bodies of two Palestinians were discovered in
the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, but the cause of death was uncertain.
The IDF said it had no connection to either of the deaths.
