She was talking about the Fatah convention this week, and the rhetoric and official calls for violence that came out of it...
Berkley said she raised this issue in a meeting her delegation had with US Gen. Keith Dayton, who advised the group not to pay too much attention to what was being said at Fatah's "political convention."
Berkley told Dayton she remembered the heady days of the Oslo Accords, when Arafat would say what the US and Europeans wanted to hear in English, but then repeated "the usual anti-Israel, anti-Semitic rants to his own people."
Back then, she said, "administration and State Department officials said the exact same thing: Don't pay any attention to what Arafat is saying; we know what he has to say in order to survive; we know what he really feels. But we didn't, we really miscalculated that. I think words are very powerful; they have meaning."
Asked what Dayton's reply was, she let out a belly laugh and replied, "He said that was a good question."
Good question indeed, from the man who said the Arab army he is training will be turned on Israel in 2 years time.
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
Am I the only one who sees Dayton as a modern day American Glubb Pasha?
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