Arafat Cancels Visit to Jenin Refugee Camp

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, May 14, 2002

Arafat Cancels Visit to Jenin Refugee Camp

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Monday decided at the last moment not to visit the Jenin refugee camp in northern West Bank, which was badly damaged when the Israeli army stormed it in April.

(Photo: Arafat visits Church of the Nativity)

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Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Monday decided at the last moment not to visit the Jenin refugee camp in northern West Bank, which was badly damaged when the Israeli army stormed it in April.

Palestinian security sources said that the the cancellation of the tour is due to security warnings, adding that dozens of Palestinian gunmen were in the area.

Jamal Al Shati, a Palestinian lawmaker of Jenin, said that the reason for the cancellation is the crowds of people gathering to meet him, adding that there were also fears that there might be bombs or mines left by Israeli soldiers under the rubble of the destroyed houses.

However, he said that Arafat visited the cemetery of Jenin and visited the graves of the Palestinians who were killed there, in addition to touring around the Jenin town and meeting with representatives from both the town and the refugee camp.

On Monday, Arafat, who had been confined to his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah for more than five months, made a tour of the West Bank towns of Bethlehem, Jenin and Nablus.

Arafat spent his day visiting Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity, and then headed to Nablus after he toured Jenin and his convoy passed by the severely destroyed refugee camp.

As soon as Arafat decided to tour in the West Bank, Jordan sent him an military helicopter to fly him in the West Bank.

The timing of Arafat's visit to the West Bank coincided with the declaration of Israel's right-wing Likud party that it opposes the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.

Commenting on the declaration, Arafat said it "is blowing up Oslo peace agreements that were signed between us and the Israelis, among them [Israeli Prime Minister] Ariel Sharon and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

He said that Sharon and Netanyahu signed the last part of Oslo agreement in Wye River, the United States in 1999, adding that "and now they are destroying it."

Arafat is scheduled to be back in Ramallah late Monday evening.

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