Sharon says Israel not planning to kill Arafat ( 2003-10-28 08:55) (Agencies)
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said for the
first time in public Monday that Israel has no intention of killing Palestinian
President Yasser Arafat despite the Israeli government's vow to remove him from
power.
Sharon also reaffirmed Israel's determination to press ahead with
construction of its vast barrier in the West Bank, in defiance of U.S. and
international pressure.
Israel drew an international outcry for its decision in principle last month
to "remove" Arafat and for comments by Sharon's deputy Ehud Olmert that killing
the symbol of Palestinian nationalism was an option.
"I don't see any plans to kill him although the man is responsible for deaths
of hundreds, of thousands of mostly civilians because his strategy is a strategy
of terror," Sharon told a group of European parliamentarians visiting Jerusalem.
"The security fence is not a political border. ... The fence is an additional
means of preventing terror ... so we will continue building it," he added.
Palestinians say the fence is a land grab that cuts deep into territory they
want for a state. Israel, which plans to extend the fence deep inside the West
Bank, says it is intended to keep out Palestinian attackers.
Sharon's statement on Arafat followed weeks of speculation on how and when
Israel might act on its threat to oust Arafat, accused by Israel of fomenting
violence in the three-year-old uprising for independence, a charge he denies.
Political sources had said Sharon had ruled out assassinating Arafat, but
it was the first time the right-wing Israeli leader has done so publicly.
Sharon appeared to rule out exiling Arafat in an interview on Oct. 17, saying
that would be damaging for Israel. But on Oct. 20, he said Israel was determined
to "remove" Arafat.
Arafat, who has been confined by Israeli tanks to his West Bank compound in
Ramallah for much of the past two years, has had health problems but doctors say
he has no serious ailment.
CLASH ON ISRAEL-LEBANON BORDER
Adding to tensions in the region, Hizbollah -- a Lebanese guerrilla group
backed by Syria and Iran -- fired rockets and artillery rounds at Israeli army
positions in a disputed area of the Israel-Lebanon border. Israel hit back with
two air strikes. The army said one soldier was lightly wounded.
Tensions have been high since Israel struck what it said was a training camp
for Palestinian militants in Syria three weeks ago in the deepest attack on its
neighbor in the past 30 years.
Israel blamed the latest exchange of fire on Syria and Iran. "Syria and Iran
are clearly interested in escalation with Israel using the Hizbollah proxy,"
said Sharon adviser, Dore Gold.
The commander of Israel's army in the north, Major-General Benny Ganz, vowed
to retaliate harshly after further attacks.
In the Gaza Strip, the militant Islamic group Hamas said it was ready to
discuss a call by Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie to halt attacks on
Israelis and said a commitment would depend on whether Israel would stop attacks
on Palestinians.
Also Monday, Israel said it planned to provide government services, including
lighting and education services, to some Jewish settler outposts in the West
Bank which it vowed to dismantle under a stalled U.S.-backed peace "road map."
The Palestinian Authority said the decision showed Sharon lied when he
pledged to remove dozens of small enclaves built on occupied land without
Israeli government authorization.
Most of the international community considers the estimated 50 outposts as
well as about 150 established settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to be
illegal. Israel disputes this.
