Barak Adviser on Terrorism: Sharing Jerusalem With Arafat Will Mean Increase in Terrorism

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's longtime adviser on counter-terrorism has warned that sharing Jerusalem with Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority would lead to increased Arab terrorism against Israelis.

Major-General Meir Dagan, who recently retired as chief of Barak's Bureau on Counter-Terrorism, told CSNews.com (Aug. 30, 2000) that if Arafat is given control of parts of Jerusalem, while keeping it as an open city (as Barak has pledged to do), "Israel would no longer have the ability to control its border and terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad would have free access - not only to Jerusalem but to the rest of Israel."

Regarding proposals to give Arafat control over the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Jerusalem, Major-General Dagan said: "I don't see any logic in giving the Temple Mount (to Arafat) and cutting a border on the most delicate point, when Israel is able to provide freedom of worship to anyone and maintain overall security responsibility all over Jerusalem."

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