Jordan Times
Thursday, October 4, 2001
Arafat welcomes Bush backing for Palestinian state
GAZA CITY (AFP) — Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat welcomed on Wednesday US President George W. Bush's endorsement of a Palestinian state, saying Palestinians wanted peace with the Israelis.The Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Arafat as saying, “I thank the United States for its position, which is the cornerstone for the establishment of a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
He added that “the Palestinians remain committed to peace with the Israelis, which is a strategic choice for them.”
“The idea of a Palestinian state has always been part of a vision, so long as the right to Israel to exist is respected,” Bush told reporters in the White House on Tuesday.
Arab states also welcomed the statement but Israel gave it a cool reception, noting that it came as Bush tried to involve Arab and Muslim states in his campaign against radical Islamist terrorist suspect Osama Ben Laden.