ABC - WIRE: 05/03/2001 6:04 pm ET

Hillary Clinton blasts Soha Arafat's comments on Israel

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday called anti-Israeli remarks by Yasser Arafat's wife, Soha, "offensive and very disgusting" and said they could inflame violence in the Middle East.

During her Senate campaign, Mrs. Clinton got into hot water with New York's Jewish community when she hugged and kissed Mrs. Arafat just after the Palestinian leader's wife had accused Israelis of using poison gas on Palestinian women and children.

The former first lady later criticized the remarks and said she had not heard a translation of Mrs. Arafat's remarks clearly. But the picture of that kiss, which occurred during a White House trip to the West Bank, was splashed in newspapers around the world.

In an interview with a Saudi Arabian women's magazine, Mrs. Arafat said she hates Israel and called peace between Jews and Palestinians "a lie."

"It's offensive and very disgusting that she would engage in language like that, especially at a time of violence in the Mideast," Mrs. Clinton said Thursday as she left a conference in Washington on acid rain.

"Any kind of inflammatory comments at a time of peril and danger for Israel that in any way encourages anti-Israeli feelings or actions could present ... a real danger, not just a rhetorical danger," the New York Democrat said.

She said the Mrs. Arafat's comments "could in some people's minds give them a license to be violent."

But Mrs. Clinton said she placed blame for violence in the Middle East on Yasser Arafat.

In an interview with the magazine Sayidaty, Mrs. Arafat said she has rejected contacts with Israeli delegations representing social institutions since Israelis are "responsible for the problems our children have."

"I have always rejected normalizing relations with (Israeli) women," she was quoted as saying by the magazine. "They always invite me to their functions and I categorically refuse because I hate Israel."

She also declared that "peace with them (Israelis) is a lie."

Mrs. Arafat rarely speaks publicly and has largely kept a low profile since that 1999 appearance with Mrs. Clinton. GO TO: HOMEPAGE POLITICS RAW NEWS WIRE: 05/03/2001 6:04 pm ET Hillary Clinton blasts Soha Arafat's comments on Israel The Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday called anti-Israeli remarks by Yasser Arafat's wife, Soha, "offensive and very disgusting" and said they could inflame violence in the Middle East. During her Senate campaign, Mrs. Clinton got into hot water with New York's Jewish community when she hugged and kissed Mrs. Arafat just after the Palestinian leader's wife had accused Israelis of using poison gas on Palestinian women and children. The former first lady later criticized the remarks and said she had not heard a translation of Mrs. Arafat's remarks clearly. But the picture of that kiss, which occurred during a White House trip to the West Bank, was splashed in newspapers around the world. In an interview with a Saudi Arabian women's magazine, Mrs. Arafat said she hates Israel and called peace between Jews and Palestinians "a lie." "It's offensive and very disgusting that she would engage in language like that, especially at a time of violence in the Mideast," Mrs. Clinton said Thursday as she left a conference in Washington on acid rain. "Any kind of inflammatory comments at a time of peril and danger for Israel that in any way encourages anti-Israeli feelings or actions could present ... a real danger, not just a rhetorical danger," the New York Democrat said. She said the Mrs. Arafat's comments "could in some people's minds give them a license to be violent." But Mrs. Clinton said she placed blame for violence in the Middle East on Yasser Arafat. In an interview with the magazine Sayidaty, Mrs. Arafat said she has rejected contacts with Israeli delegations representing social institutions since Israelis are "responsible for the problems our children have." "I have always rejected normalizing relations with (Israeli) women," she was quoted as saying by the magazine. "They always invite me to their functions and I categorically refuse because I hate Israel." She also declared that "peace with them (Israelis) is a lie." Mrs. Arafat rarely speaks publicly and has largely kept a low profile since that 1999 appearance with Mrs. Clinton.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001