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Friday January 29, 1999

Arafat invite sparks ire of religious right

MATTHEW DORF
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

WASHINGTON -- As a sign of Yasser Arafat's growing stature, a leading conservative member of Congress has invited the Palestinian Authority chairman to the annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, sparking furor from some of the congressman's allies in the evangelical Christian community.

Arafat, who has rejected three previous invitations to the event, plans to attend the reception, which will bring together American leaders and international guests.

President Clinton, who is also scheduled to attend the prayer breakfast, said he would host Arafat at an informal meeting during the Palestinian leader's brief U.S. visit.

The decision by Rep. Steve Largent (R-Okla.) to invite Arafat has antagonized a number of evangelical Christian leaders. Previous invitations came from Democrats, who held the rotating chairmanship of the breakfast.

According to sources familiar with a campaign now under way, three of the nation's largest evangelical Christian groups -- the Christian Coalition, the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family -- oppose Arafat's appearance.

"It is an ill-informed, bad decision to invite a known terrorist and murderer of Jews and Christians, and Americans, to participate in a public exercise of faith here in the nation's capital," said Jeffrey Taylor, director of government relations for the Christian Coalition.

Jewish groups have not weighed in on the matter but the family of a victim of a Palestinian terrorist attack has.

"An invitation to the National Prayer Breakfast will bestow upon Mr. Arafat a degree of legitimacy and credibility that he has not earned," Stephen Flatow wrote in a letter this week to Largent.

Flatow, whose daughter Alisa was killed in a terrorist attack in Gaza, appealed to Largent to rescind the invitation.

Guests are expected to include most members of Congress and Vice President Al Gore. Representatives from the diplomatic corps from 160 countries were also invited to attend.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not invited this year because his staff told the organizers that he would be unable to attend, Keena said. Leah Rabin, widow of the former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, may attend the breakfast, organizers said.

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