Israel's newly appointed Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz spoke to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on the phone Wednesday evening, Israel Radio reported. Mofaz stressed Israel's duty to fight "terror," and noted the importance of the ties between the two countries. The two agreed to hold futher talks in the future.
Meanwhile, the new Israeli foregin minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Wednesday on public television he regretted Israel had not already expelled Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in retaliation for Palestinian suicide attacks.
Netanyahu said a US strike on Iraq would provide an ideal cover to oust Arafat during the upheaval in the region. "We must convince world opinion of the righteousness of our cause and win over the battle for world opinion," he said in his first ministerial address.
"Our enemies have managed through their lies to convince (the world) that they have the right to kill us. We must stop justifying ourselves and re-establish the truth: this is the central goal of our foreign policy," he aired.
On his part, Arafat tried to strike a defiant note against Netanyahu. "No one can expel me from my homeland," he said in Ramallah. "They must remember that I am president Arafat." (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
