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Arafat under siege again

RAMALLAH JUNE 24. Israeli tanks encircled the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat's badly damaged headquarters and bulldozers built earthen barricades in the streets as the army seized control of Ramallah early on Monday in its expanding West Bank invasion.

The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, said the military was ``preparing massive activity'' against the militant Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip. Earlier in the day, Mr. Arafat ordered the house arrest of the Hamas chief, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin.

Mr. Sharon spoke hours after Israel delivered the first blow of the new offensive — a helicopter missile strike on two cars carrying Hamas members, killing six Palestinians and injuring five in the southern Gaza Strip at Rafah.

Four of the dead belonged to Hamas, the movement said. Israel said it targeted and killed Yasser Rizik, a ``senior Hamas activist'' who was allegedly behind a January attack that killed four Israeli soldiers.

In Gaza, Palestinian police surrounded the home of Sheik Yassin, and authorities said he was under house arrest. However, Sheikh Yassin invited journalists inside and said he was unaware of any such order.

After brief scuffles between Hamas supporters and police, masked Hamas gunmen patrolled the sandy streets outside the house, while police pulled back several hundred metres.

The latest turbulence came as both Israelis and Palestinians awaited an address by the U.S. President, George W. Bush, who was expected to propose a fresh start for peace-making and offer guidelines for a Palestinian state.

There was no word on when Mr. Bush would deliver the speech. It was put off last week due to the escalating violence, which included three major Palestinian attacks that left more than 30 Israeli civilians dead, and prompted the Israeli invasion of the West Bank.

In Washington, there's been widespread speculation that Mr. Bush's plan will call for a provisional Palestinian state. The details are not known, though the idea has so far received a cool reception in West Asia. Mr. Sharon said last week that the time was not ``ripe'' for any sort of Palestinian state.

The Palestinian Information Minister, Yasser Abed Rabbo, said that ``any initiative or any idea is worthless today, because what's important is the Israeli invasion.''

Mr. Rabbo said it was ``the responsibility of the American administration to pressure the Israelis to pull back before talking about initiatives and peace talks.''

In Ramallah, the Palestinian political headquarters in the West Bank, Israeli soldiers atop armoured personnel carriers flashed V-for-victory signs as dozens of tanks and armoured personnel carriers rolled into the city. — AP

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