The U.S. State Department has failed to find evidence that
the Palestinian Authority has been engaged in terrorism.
A department report released last week said neither PA Chairman Yasser
Arafat nor his aides were directly involved in terrorist attacks against
Israel. But the report acknowledged that some low-level PA officials were
involved in what the report termed "violence," Middle East Newsline reported.
"There is no conclusive evidence that senior leaderships of the PA or
PLO were involved in planning or approving specific acts of violence," the
report said.
The State Department report was discussed last week in a closed session
of the House International Relations Committee. The committee heard
testimony from Assistant Secretary of State William Burns, who was
questioned regarding the discrepancy between the latest report and
Palestinian
documents captured by Israel that linked Arafat and his aides to the
financing of suicide bombers.
The report covered the period of June 16, 2001 to Dec. 15, 2001. The
State Department is required to report to Congress every six months on
whether the PA or the PLO are involved in terrorism.
Earlier this year, the United States listed the Arafat-aligned Al Aqsa
Martyrs Brigade as a terrorist group. The report said that neither Arafat
nor his aides knew of planned attacks by the umbrella organization dominated
by
the ruling Fatah party.
"While there is no conclusive evidence that the senior PA or PLO
leadership approved or had advanced knowledge of planned attacks, the weight
of evidence would indicate that they knew of Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Tanzim
and elements of Force 17 involvement in the violence and did little to rein
them in," the report said.