A message for Olmert (from Saed Erekat - Haaretz)

[Wordie]

A message for Olmert
By Akiva Eldar

Dr. Saeb Erekat is the only Palestinian who has accompanied the peace process, and the six Israeli prime ministers who have been in power, from the 1991 Madrid Conference to this very day. He does not forget the last words he heard from Ariel Sharon: Why not buy on the black market, or from Hamas? - the prime minister fired at the Palestinian team sitting opposite him. That was Sharon's response to the request by Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to allow the PA to purchase arms and ammunition in order to disarm the members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and to confiscate their ammunition.

...Ehud Olmert is one of the Israeli politicians whose cell-phone number does not appear in Erekat's address book. He says he would like to send Olmert the following message: "I'm saying to Mr. Olmert: You can revive the peace process and revive hope and influence developments for you and the Palestinians, by agreeing and accepting our call to resume the negotiations. You may, Mr. Olmert, choose the way and say I'm going (through a) transition and it's too early. That's the natural politician's response. I hope you take the baton of leaders and not politicians. Before the elections. Because that will be the sign."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=669720&contrassID=2&subContrassID=15&sbSubContrassID=0

The article is much longer, and deals primarily with Erekat's memories of the many Israeli Prime Ministers with whom he has dealt over the years. Interesting reading.