JERUSALEM Ñ Israel has ordered a mobilization of the military
reserves and decided to "completely isolate" Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat.
But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has assured the
United States that he will not destroy the Palestinian Authority and that
the current military offensive in the West Bank will be limited.
Government sources said Sharon sent the Bush administration a detailed
explanation of Israel's military offensive against the PA and efforts to
neutralize chairman Yasser Arafat. The message, they said, pledges that
Arafat will not be overthrown and that he will be able to maintain
communications with the outside world.
"We are talking about a military operation that is more of the same plus
some more elements that we haven't tried before," a government source said.
"But no strategic changes are planned."
On Friday, Israeli officials stressed that they do not envision the end
of Arafat's rule. They said the military has relayed orders to Israeli
troops in Ramallah not to disturb Arafat, who has taken refuge in a
downstairs office of a building in the PA complex.
"Arafat, who has established a coalition of terror against Israel, is an
enemy and at this point he will be isolated," Sharon said without
elaborating.
On Friday, Israel's military launched mobilization of 20,000 reservists
for what officials termed would be a staged offensive against the PA. The
reservists are meant to protect Israeli cities from Palestinian suicide
bombers as well as the northern border with Lebanon, where the
Iranian-backed Hizbullah has deployed up to 10,000 short-range rockets.
During the mobilization, two Israelis were killed and 28 others were
injured when a Palestinian blew herself up in a Jerusalem supermarket. The
attacker was identified as a 16-year-old girl from a Bethlehem refugee camp
sent by Arafat's Fatah movement.
The Israeli decision was announced on Friday as heavy fighting erupted
around Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Israeli
troops entered Arafat's compound and fighting was reported 20 meters from
his office. Palestinian sources said 25 Palestinians, including two of
Arafat's bodyguards, were injured.
The Cabinet of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared Arafat an
enemy, but decided against his exile, a decision that was relayed to the
United States. Ministers said that all of Israel's security chiefs opposed
the deportation of Arafat from the Palestinian territories but suggested
that he would be placed under virtual house arrest.
"At this moment, Israeli troops are in Arafat's complex in Ramallah,"
Sharon told a news conference on Friday. "They will complete their mission
as was drafted and approved by the Cabinet. At this stage, Arafat will be
isolated."
The decision to mobilize Israel's military reserves was meant to
facilitate a massive attack on the PA in wake of the killing of at least 27
Israelis over the last 36 hours. Military sources said the mobilization
would include that of thousands of reservists to help in an Israeli
offensive against PA cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The mobilization would also help prepare Israel to respond to any
Hizbullah rocket attack from southern Lebanon, the sources said. They said
reservists would be required to man roadblocks and protect Israeli cities
and communities. Soldiers from Israel's standing army have been summoned
back to their units.
During a Cabinet session overnight Friday, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul
Mofaz presented several plans for
Cabinet approval. The plans, military sources said, include contingencies
for a search-and-destroy operation in every Palestinian city.
The sources said the army will deploy nine companies for police duties
in cities throughout the country. They said the Israeli military operation
would be extended and not spare Arafat or his aides.
But Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said Arafat would not be
assassinated. The defense minister also ruled out the prospect of a regional
war in the Middle East.
"Will we harm Arafat? The answer is negative," Ben-Eliezer said.
By early Friday, Israeli troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers
were deployed around the West Bank cities of Nablus and Ramallah. Military
sources said Israeli troops were also deployed in key areas throughout the
Gaza Strip.
The Arab League summit in Beirut has prompted the bloodiest Palestinian
attacks against Israel since June. On Wednesday evening, a Palestinian
suicide bomber blew himself up during a Passover Seder, or ritual meal, in a
crowded hotel in Netanya. At least 21 people were killed by a bomber
believed to have entered the hotel dining room disguised as a woman.
On Thursday, a Palestinian insurgent entered the Jewish settlement of
Elon Moreh near the West Bank city of Nablus. The insurgent burst into a
home and killed four Israelis.
Hours later, a Palestinian attacker entered the Jewish settlement of
Netsarim in the Gaza Strip and stabbed to death two Israelis on Friday. The
Islamic opposition Hamas movement claimed responsiblity for the Elon Moreh
and Netanya attacks.
