Yasser Retorts
WASHINGTON - Exiling Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat would not help bring peace to the Middle East, a White House spokesman said Thursday, hours after Israeli troops shelled Arafat's headquarters and blew a hole in his bedroom wall.
White House spokesman Sean McCormack agreed. "I don't think exiling Arafat solves anything," he said. "The issue is building Palestinian institutions and in the process, bringing the Palestinian people into the building of these institutions."
Wednesday, the White House questioned Arafat's trustworthiness and pledged to increase contacts with a new generation of Palestinian leaders who may be more willing to curb terrorism.
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer emphasized that "in the president's eyes, Yasser Arafat has never played a role of someone who could be trusted or who was effective."
Arafat meanwhile was touring the damage of his bedroom with reporters and was heard to shout “They blew up my fucking bed! What if I had been asleep here?! Can you believe this shit?! Damn they’re getting close! What’s next? They blow up my Jacuzzi?! Damn, shit, damnit!
