Arafat's Wife Says Peace Isn't Achievable

C A I R O, Egypt, May 3 -- In a series of blunt comments, the wife ofPalestinian leader Yasser Arafat said she hates Israel, opposesnormal relations with Israelis and believes Mideast peace isunobtainable at present.

Soha Arafat, who rarely speaks publicly, said in an interviewwith the Saudi Arabian women's magazine Sayidaty that she hasrejected contacts with Israeli delegations representing socialinstitutions since Israelis are "responsible for the problems ourchildren have."

"I have always rejected normalizing relations with [Israeli]women," she was quoted as saying by the magazine. "They alwaysinvite me to their functions and I categorically refuse because Ihate Israel."

Amid the current Mideast bloodletting, she also declared that"peace with them [Israelis] is a lie."

"I have always had the inner conviction that it wouldn'tsucceed," she added. "Thus I rejected any proposal forcooperation."

'A Political Target'

Soha Arafat spends most of her time in Paris with the couple'sdaughter, Zahwa, and said she fears the Israelis are tracking them.

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She said Israeli bullets hit the Arafat residence in Gaza Cityduring one recent attack by Israeli helicopters, when the familywas not present. Windows at the home were shattered.

"I know my daughter and I are a political target," said SohaArafat, who converted from Christianity to Islam when she marriedthe Palestinian leader. "For that reason I move from place toplace. But I am not afraid."

A Low Profile Since Meeting Hillary

Soha Arafat said she has shied away from the media "becausebeing in the spotlight too much can burn you."

She has kept a low profile since a controversial 1999 meetingwith then-U.S. first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in the West Bank duringwhich the Palestinian first lady said that Israeli troops used"poison gas" on Palestinians that led to "an increase in cancercases among Palestinian women and children."

The comments caused a stir in Israel and the United States.Clinton did not comment on the remarks at the time. But later shedenounced Soha Arafat's comments, saying they were not conducive tothe peace process.