Interview with Yasir Arafat

by Marilyn Robinson in Ramallah

May 7, 2002

[NOTE: Marilyn Robinson, a volunteer medical relief worker with the Colorado Campaign for 

Middle East Peace just emerged from a meeting with Yasir Arafat held in his compound in

Ramallah.  She is part of a  group of humanitarian relief volunteers and observers attempting

to bring medical supplies and assist in recovery from the Israeli assaults against Palestinian 

communities.  Present were 4 from Iceland, 3 from UK, 2 from USA, 2 from Palestine, and 1

from Mexico.  The meeting ran from about 9:20 to 10:20 PM Tuesday, local time.]

Arafat said that although agreements had been reached regarding resolving the standoff at 

the Church of the Nativity, Israel keeps bringing up new conditions that set negotiations 

back.  Negotiation teams worked all through the night (Monday) and into the evening 

Tuesday attempting to end the situation, but at this moment it is not clear when this 

situation will end.

He asked: "Where are the governments of the world at this time?  Why are all nations silent 

to what is being done to the people of Palestine.  The PA has repeatedly requested to have a 

multi-national team of observers on the ground to monitor the actions of Palestinians and 

Israelis, and these requests have gone unanswered.  He was grateful to the international 

volunteers who had been present to bring visibility to the Israeli attacks and to the observe 

the harm being done to the people.

He said that the Church of the Nativity is sacred to Muslims as well as to Christians, and it should 

not be desecrated by these Israeli attacks.  He brought out a copy of the Koran and stated that 

the Virgin Mary is specifically mentioned with honor and that the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem is in 

the Koran, as is his ascension into heaven.  Jesus' message was "I will save you".  Since Jesus is 

revered in the Koran, Muslim Palestinians join with Christian Palestinians in the belief that this 

message is for them, too.

One of the Icelandic volunteers asked: how important is America's role in this matter?

Arafat said that the rounds of Land for Peace negotiations began with the first President Bush and 

resulted in Palestine formally ceding claims to 82% of historic Palestine, committing to accept the 

State of Israel, and committing to ongoing negotiations to implement these issues.  The result 

has been that Palestine has not only ceded land and claims on land, but that Israel has continued 

to take land that has not been ceded, has not stopped the illegal settlements and has cut the West 

Bank and Gaza into ever-smaller fragments of unconnected land.  He'd like to see the second 

President Bush press Israel to comply with the existing agreements, but at this point, that does 

not appear to be happening.

As we were leaving, I saw the staff placing sandbags at the entrance to the presidential compound, 

and otherwise securing the facility against an anticipated return of Israeli Army forces.

* Marilyn Robinson is one of four members of the Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace who have joined international activists in solidarity with Palestinians nonviolently trying to end Israel's illegal military occupation of Palestine.  More on their trip at: www.ccmep.org/palestine.html