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Israel checks Arafat, vows not to destroy Palestinian Authority

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Friday, March 29, 2002

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.

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