The Hindu : Israel tightens siege on Arafat

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Sep 23, 2002

International

International

Israel tightens siege on Arafat

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA (BAHRAIN) Sept. 22. Violent Street protests in support of the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, swept through key Palestinian strongholds as the stand-off between Mr. Arafat and Israeli authorities continued unabated. Israeli forces have tightened Mr. Arafat's encirclement in his Ramallah office compound, in which all buildings, except one, in which the 73-year-old Palestinian leader has been besieged have been destroyed.

Israeli defence forces on Sunday tore down a Governor's office and meeting hall next to the Palestinian leader's office bloc. Israel says it laid siege to Mr. Arafat's compound in order to seek the surrender of 19 militants, which it alleges have been involved in acts of terrorism and are at this time holed up with Mr. Arafat.

Israel mounted pressure on Mr. Arafat after a suicide bombing killed six Israelis in a bus earlier this week. Israeli has maintained that it will not harm Mr. Arafat, but will continue to enforce the siege till the 19 alleged terrorists out of the 50 who are with Mr. Arafat in his compound are in its custody.

According to one view, Israel is deliberately mounting pressure on Mr. Arafat in order to force him to leave the Palestinian territories without taking the provocative step of deporting him on its own. Israeli defence officials said on Sunday that they had no intention of holding negotiations for the release of the 50 individuals who have been encircled.

Mr. Arafat, on his part, has been defiant to the Israeli moves. ``I hope God will grant me the honour of martyrdom. No one will be handed over to Israel,'' Ahmed Tibi, an Arab member of Israel's Parliament, quoted Mr. Arafat, citing a telephone conversation with him. In a written statement released by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Mr. Arafat said: "We are ready for peace but not for capitulation and we will not give up Jerusalem or a grain of our soil which are guaranteed to us by international law.'' Thousands, meanwhile, defying Israeli curfew restrictions, took to demonstrations in support of Mr. Arafat across the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Palestinian hospital officials said two Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during a rally in Ramallah, one of them a Voice of Palestine radio journalist. Elsewhere in the West Bank, two demonstrators were killed and 15 others were wounded in the West Bank and Gaza by Israeli forces. Israeli military sources said the army shot and killed two Palestinian gunmen during street protests near Nablus.

The demonstrations began shortly after the Israeli army gave Mr. Arafat's bureau an ultimatum to come out with their hands up as the army planned to blow up the building, next to the leader's office. Israeli troops on Sunday re-imposed curfew in all West Bank cities except Bethlehem.

Mr. Arafat also called for international intervention and telephoned the Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah and Malaysia's Prime Minister, Mahathir Mohammad.

The European Union Foreign Policy Chief, Javier Solana, said he conveyed to Israel his "greatest concerns about the situation and particularly the siege of the Palestinian leadership.''

The White House called on Israel to consider the fall-out of its actions but also said it had a right to defend itself against suicide bombings.

Israel so far has defied all international pressure that has been mounted on it.

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