Arafat is unhappy camper

RAMALLAH -- Even as Israeli sources are predicting an imminent deal, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has dug in his heels as the Camp David summit has ground to a halt, Palestinian sources told Middle East Newsline.

The sources said Arafat has simply reduced contact with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and is waiting until Wednesday, when President Bill Clinton will leave for the G-8 summit at Okinawa. Arafat, the sources said, has refused to discuss Barak's proposals on such issues as borders and refugees.

"He's very scared of coming home and being accused of selling out the Palestinians," a Palestinian source who is in contact with the delegation at Camp David said. "He would rather wait it out and prove to the Palestinians that he didn't give in."

Arafat, the sources said, is expected to leave hours after Clinton flies to Okinawa, Japan for the G-8 summit on Wednesday. They said Arafat has rejected several Israeli proposals regarding Jerusalem and has insisted on a complete Israeli withdrawal to the line that existed prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

"Anything else is unacceptable for discussion, or agreement or concession," PA Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nabil Amr said on Tuesday. "Therefore, I am not optimistic on this issue."

The sources said Arafat has ordered his supporters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to stage daily rallies in support of the PA chairman. The sources said Arafat feels isolated at the summit and has received almost no Arab support.

"Even Egypt is playing it cool," one source said. "And when Egypt plays it cool, Arafat gets worried."

Arafat has ordered daily demonstrations in support of his presence at the Camp David summit. But the demonstrations have been poorly attended, particularly in the Gaza Strip, with most of those in attendance being children from local day camps.

On Tuesday, demonstrations were held in El Bireh, Nablus and Hebron. The El Bireh demonstration was well-attended by members of the ruling Fatah movement.

In Washington, Tayseer Khaled, a representative of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine invited by Arafat, said the Camp David summit did not achieve anything. Khaled told the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television that the negotiations were a waste of time.

"The problem is that these talks are a waste of time and I don't know if it would be possible to reach a framework agreement at this round of talks," Khaled said. "I don't expect it. There is a real gap and a big one that exists between the American position and the Palestinian fundamentals as expressed by the Palestinian Central Council."

In Gaza, Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin warned Arafat against making further concessions. Yassin raised the prospect that Arafat would be overthrown if he concedes on final status issues.

"Arafat must understand that he is not authorized to give away Muslim rights in Jerusalem or compromise the Palestinian refugees' right of return," Yassin told a news conference on Monday. "His status hangs in the balance. I'm sure the Palestinian people would discard him if he gave in to the Zionists."

Yassin said he was not certain that Arafat could resist Israeli and U.S. pressure. He said the Camp David summit was meant to isolate Arafat.

"It was clear they wanted to have Arafat alone so that they could cajole and pressurize him into signing a capitulatory document," Yassin said.