by Douglas
M.Bloomfield
WASHINGTON -- What
do you serve when Yasser Arafat comes to dinner? Well, if it's Friday night and
you're Esther Coopersmith, you start with matza ball soup and then go to the
brisket.
One of Washington's
premier hostesses and a longtime Israel supporter and peace advocate,
Coopersmith gave a kosher Shabbat dinner at her embassy row home for the
Palestinian leader and American and Arab diplomats, Palestinian-American
leaders and a handful of journalists.
An Arab American
leader turned to his Jewish dinner companion and said, "Your people sure
know how to make good soup."
There was no
religious observance, but the evening ended with a blessing from Rabbi Stanley
Rabinowitz, rabbi emeritus of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington.
Coopersmith has
been bringing Israeli and Arab leaders together in her home for nearly a
quarter of a century. She told Arafat that when she first hosted a dinner for
Egyptian and Israeli Camp David negotiators years ago, she never dreamed she
would some day also be hosting the chair of the Palestine Liberation
Organization, but she saw the evening as a sign of hope and change.
Arafat told the group he had accomplished the main purpose of his Washington
visit when he got President Bill Clinton's assurance that the United States
will continue to focus on the Palestinian peace track as much as on the Syrian
track, giving both the same weight.
Arafat called his
trip "fruitful, positive and warm."
He had been
concerned that his negotiations would be overshadowed by Israel's talks with
the Syrians. Arafat and Prime Minister Ehud Barak had agreed on a February
target date for completing a framework agreement, but a knowledgeable
administration official said the two sides are so far apart that it is unlikely
that the goal will be met.
Israeli and
Palestinian negotiators are expected to begin intense talks this week, and as
they close the gaps and near agreement, Clinton is expected to invite Arafat
and Barak to come to Washington to finish the job.
But the most
interesting revelation came when Arafat was asked what he did to relax. The
world's most famous retired terrorist revealed he likes to watch cartoons and
tennis on television. When he was younger, he said, he enjoyed playing tennis
and skiing, but it was obvious from his frail appearance that those days are
far behind him.
Arafat seemed to
bristle when journalists Bernard Kalb and Sam Donaldson asked about his
transition from terrorist to statesman. "I wasn't a terrorist. I was
defending the survival of my people," he said. "I'm a man of peace. I
fought for peace, and I will continue until I achieve peace."
Arafat appeared
frail and in poor health. His voice was weak, and he was visibly tired. Saeb
Erekat, the Palestinians' chief negotiator, acted as interpreter, and Arabic
speakers in the room said he freely edited Arafat's remarks with his own
comments. At one point, Arafat lapsed into English but Erekat
"translated" it anyway, adding his own embellishment, to the laughter
of his audience.
Douglas M.
Bloomfield is a Washington, D.C.-based political analyst.
©2000 NJ Jewish
News.