RAMALLAH ø A senior Palestinian official is touring neighboring Arab states in search for weapons in the war against Israel.

Palestinian sources said the weapons search comes as the Palestinian Authority and its allies are running low on ammunition and other supplies.

The PA effort is being coordinated by Fuad Shubaki. Shubaki, a senior PA police official, has visited Jordan for raising money for weapons and ammunition. Shubaki will also visit Iraq.

Israeli security sources said the PA wants to obtain money for weapons for purchase in Lebanon. The weapons would then be smuggled to the Gaza Strip via the Egyptian town of Rafah. The Palestinians have dug an estimated 14 tunnels that link the Egyptian and Palestinian parts of Rafah.

The weapons bought in Jordan would also be smuggled over the Jordan River, the sources said. On Tuesday, Israeli security forces captured Force 17 member Riyad Ayad in the Gaza Strip. Palestinian forces said Ayad was a leading member of the PA military industry and helped build mortars for attacks against Israel.

Israeli security sources said Iraq continues to send money and other support to the PA despite an Israeli ban. The sources said the Iraqi aid is sent via Jordan.

Israeli security sources said the PA has obtained Katyusha rockets, anti-tank missiles and shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles. The sources said the PA plans to keep these missiles in case of a full-scale Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip.

In another development, the PA has offered members of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement about $720, or 3,000 Israeli shekels, a month to reside in an Israeli prison. The Fatah members were to be presented to European Union monitors as Islamic Jihad members arrested by the PA in its effort to stop attacks against Israel.

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