So that's what happened! Here is debka's real strength, as far as I can tell. While their predictions quite often fall flat, their investigation and analysis are usually on the mark. In this story, Debka notes the reason for Arafat's decision to participate in tri-lateral peace talks with Israel and the US.
The Palestinian leader complained bitterly about the Israeli justice minister, the usually mild Meir Sheetreet, who told an early morning Hebrew radio broadcast that if things carried on this way, he could not rule out Israel’s military reoccupation of Palestinian cities. Solana [head of the EU] agreed gloomily that this prospect was on the cards. Arafat at that point asked the European official to inform the Americans that he would be sending Palestinian officers to attend the trilateral US-Israel-Palestinian security commission, so that it could be convened Tuesday night, February 26. This was a reversal of the boycott of the forum he ordered, two days earlier, on Sunday, February 24, after the Israeli security cabinet declined to release him from virtual house arrest in Ramallah.
More interesting is the reason for Solana's presence in the first place. According to Debka, Arafat spent the payroll for the PA on the escalation of terror attacks in Israel. When payday arrived, he begged funds from the EU, who sent him 30 million to cover the payroll. Only when he arrived in Israel did Solana discover the origins of the shortfall.
Posted by Rich at February 27, 2002 10:55 AM