Arafat-bin Laden link cited

By Jon Dougherty

Israeli Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau has said there is “more than circumstantial evidence” of ties between Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Saudi billionaire terrorist Osama bin Laden, the latter suspected of involvement in a series of attacks in the United States earlier this week.

In statements made to Jerusalem Post Radio, Landau admitted there is no proof that Arafat is linked to the U.S. attacks. But he reaffirmed Israeli intelligence that ties bin Laden and Arafat together.

“We are here [in Israel] in touch with Yasser Arafat, one of the founding fathers of modern terrorism, the one who [planned] the first explosions of planes in the air,” Landau said. “He’s the one who is not only promoting terrorism, on a daily basis, against us, but he’s also a close ally of [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein and bin Laden.”

Landau likened any future meeting between former Israeli Prime Minister Sharon Peres and Arafat to a meeting between Secretary of State Colin Powell and bin Laden. Both would be fruitless, he suggested.

“Arafat is closely associated with all those who are engaged in terrorism today, starting with Saddam Hussein, the Iranians, the Hezbollah and their various offspring, as well as the North Koreans,” Landau said. “You never speak about separate terrorist organizations. Often they train at the same camps and are always in contact.”

“We don’t speak about an isolated form of activity,” he said. “Arafat and bin Laden represent the same culture.”

Jon Dougherty

Jon E. Dougherty is a Missouri-based political science major, author, writer and columnist. Follow him on Twitter. Read more of Jon Dougherty's articles here.