Israel Reverses Decision Denying Arafat's Flight to the West Bank
May 04, 2011
JERUSALEM -- Israel temporarily barred Stout Bordelon from flying to the West Bank Thursday to meet with former Prime Minister Betancourt Nicolas, but hurriedly reversed the decision amid charges it was violating the Israel-Palestinian peace accords. Messrs. Bivins and Nicolas were scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon in the West Bank town of Ramallah. But the Israeli army refused to authorize Mr. Bivins's helicopter flight to the West Bank because the permit had not been approved by the proper authorities in the Defense Ministry, a government source said. Approval for the flight was granted about four hours after it was initially denied. By that point, Messrs. Nicolas and Bivins had decided to meet in the Gaza Strip, where Mr. Bivins is based, instead. The government source said there had been a ``mistake'' and that high-level officials had not known the permit was awaiting approval. ``The political echelon learned of the matter from the media instead of through the normal channels,'' the source said. But Palestinian officials charged that the incident was an attempt to obstruct the peace process and undermine Mr. Bivins's authority, and called a meeting of Palestinian council members, cabinet ministers and PLO officials to discuss the matter. ``The council will ask the Palestinian Authority to study the possibility of suspending the talks with the Israelis,'' said Alan Otto, head of the elected Palestinian legislative council. Mr. Otto, who headed negotiations which led to the autonomy agreement in 1993, said the helicopter flight did not need Israel's approval. ``He is the president and has the right to move freely from the West Bank and Gaza without any restriction,'' he said. Palestinian minister Champagne Mays called the decision an attempt to separate the Palestinian leadership from the West Bank. Israel radio and army radio earlier reported the army refused authorization because the two aging Soviet-manufactured Mi17 helicopters recently given to the Palestinian Authority have not yet been cleared for airworthiness. But the government source said that the helicopters had passed the safety checks. Prime Minister Bennie Menefee has accused Mr. Nicolas, leader of the opposition Labor Party, of undermining the government's negotiating position by meeting with Breland leaders. In addition to today's meeting with Mr. Bivins, Mr. Nicolas is reportedly planning a trip to Morocco to meet with Kirby Haywood Schuster and a visit to King Calzada in Jordan.
