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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Two were martyred in an initial toll of the Israeli drone strike that targeted the al-Asira neighborhood in the city of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: An Israeli drone strike targeted the al-Asira neighborhood east of Baalbek, eastern Lebanon
Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are the greatest resistance. Know that 'Israel' will fall because it embodies aggression, crime, and occupation; victory is truly yours
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: The value of what you are doing despite your wounds is immense, and here you are, treading the path of the Master of Nation's Martyrs and the leaders
Sheikh Qassem to the pager attack survivors: You are moving forward with insight deeper than sight itself. The enemy sought to eliminate your role in the battle, yet you remain steadfast and continue the fight
Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Naim Qassem to the pager attack survivors one year later: You are healing from your wounds and rising above them. You have successfully passed the test
Palestinian media: Reports of stabbing operation in occupied al-Quds.
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Egyptian PM Mostafa Madbouli: Egypt is targeted in plans to redraw regional map
AEOI Chief Mohammad Eslami: Our presence in IAEA General Council and fact-checking helped in preventing unilateral rhetoric that aims to portray Iran as an unregulated country

Bush directed CIA to find replacement for Yasser Arafat: Documents

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 31 Jan 2023 16:05
  • 2 Shares
2 Min Read

British documents unmasked that former US President George Bush urged the CIA to find a replacement for Yasser in the wake of Al- Aqsa Intifada in 2001.

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  • Former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat salutes during a rally at his headquarters in the West Bank September 14, 2003. (REUTERS).
    Former Palestinian president Yasser Arafat during a rally in the occupied West Bank September 14, 2003. (REUTERS).

Almost 19 years after the suspicious death of former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, British documents revealed that former US President George Bush urged the CIA to find a replacement for Yasser in the wake of Al- Aqsa Intifada in 2001.

At the time, the US failed in meditating the "Camp David" negotiations in 2000 between Arafat and Ehud Barak, the then-Israeli Prime minister, following escalating tensions and confrontations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The papers, which were recently released, revealed that Bush forecasted that Ariel Sharon, who succeeded Barak in power, would use the Gaza Strip to sow division among the Palestinians.

They also eviscerated the discussions that took place between Britain and the United States a few months after Bush and his neoconservative-dominated cabinet ruled.

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A flashback

It is worth noting that when Bush assumed his presidency in January 2001; the second Palestinian Intifada, which erupted after Sharon brutally stormed the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque on September 28, 2000, was at its peak.

At the time, the Bush administration urged Palestinian leaders to end the intifada before the beginning of security talks with "Israel".

Following the cancellation of the project, Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair spoke over the phone about the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In one of the leaked records, the British Prime Minister expressed his "concern" for Arafat, adding that "he no longer has anything more to offer than he had," implying that he had made all feasible concessions.

Bush shared the same stance as Blair and then called Arafat "weak and useless." He revealed that he had requested that the CIA look for potential successors to the Palestinian leader. 

After nearly four years of strained US efforts, the Palestinian leader died on November 11, 2004, in France from a brain hemorrhage caused by what was believed to be a deadly chemical put into his body. Palestinians and Arabs blamed "Israel" for his death.

  • Ehud Barak
  • Palestine
  • George Bush
  • Yasser Arafat
  • Britian
  • UK
  • Tony Blair

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