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Israelis, Palestinians issue conflicting reports on Arafat's fate

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Sunday, March 31, 2002

RAMALLAH Ñ Israel and the Palestinians have issued contradictory claims regarding the situation of Yasser Arafat.

Palestinian Authority officials said Israeli troops have burst into Arafat's compound of offices in Ramallah, Middle East Newsline reported. The officials said Israeli and Palestinian troops fought outside the door of the chairman's inner office on Sunday.

They said two of Arafat's bodyguards were injured and Israeli soldiers threw tear gas in a nearby dining room. PA Cabinet secretary Ahmed Abdul Rahman said that outside contact with Arafat has been severed since 11:30 a.m. local time [0330 hours EST].

Israeli military sources said troops have not entered Arafat's office and maintain that he is not a target. But they said Arafat is being pressed to surrender several Palestinians being harbored in the chairman's compound.

This includes Fuad Shubaki, said to have engineered the purchase of an Iranian ship full of weapons that was captured in January in the Red Sea.

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