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Israel aims to destroy Arafat's power but save his life
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Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Friday, December 14, 2001
JERUSALEM Ñ Israel's military has been ordered to destroy the
authority of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Israeli military sources said the current military operation is meant to
whittle away Arafat's rule until the point where he either flees into exile
or
succumbs to the demands of Israel and the United States to crack down on
Islamic insurgents. The sources said Arafat himself is not a target of
assassination.
"The idea is to remove all pretense of power so he can answer to his
people without his weapons, security forces and prisons," a senior military
source said.
The sources said the Israeli operation is based on a large number of
Palestinian targets. The aim is to whittle down Palestinian assets and
destroy Arafat's basis for power. This could pave the way for a takeover by
more moderate Palestinians.
With each attack, the sources said, Israeli forces reach closer to
Arafat himself. One target, the sources said, has been Fatah chief Marwan
Barghouti, whose Ramallah home was taken over by Israeli troops.
On late Thursday, Israeli aircraft struck PA installations in Gaza City,
Jenin and Ramallah. The installations included the headquarters of the PA
military intelligence, headed by Arafat's nephew, Mussa.
Hours later, Israeli troops, tanks and bulldozers entered the Gaza city
of Khan Yunis and destroyed several buildings. Israeli forces also entered
the Hebron-area town of Dura and the northern village of Salfit. Salfit is
located outside the Israeli city of Ariel in the West Bank.
The targets, the sources said, first focused on the PA security
infrastructure. The next step Ñ launched on Thursday Ñ was meant to
destroy Arafat's propaganda machine, including PA radio and television. The
third
step would be targeting key Arafat aides.
The Israeli incursions into PA-controlled cities was a key demonstration
of the effort to destroy Arafat's authority. The sources said Israeli tanks
and troops entered Ramallah in broad daylight and destroyed an antenna of PA
radio and television. They said Arafat was believed in seclusion in an
underground bunker nearby.
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