Next Target Arafat
By Conal Urquhart
24 April, 2004
The GuardianAriel Sharon issued an ominous warning last night that Yasser Arafat could be the next Palestinian leader to be in Israel's line of fire, when he reneged on a promise not to harm his old adversary.
In dramatic remarks certain to aggravate regional hysteria over Israel's targeted killings of Palestinian militant leaders, the Israeli prime minister said he had told President George Bush that he was no longer prepared to exempt Mr Arafat from physical harm.
"I told the president the following. In our first meeting about three years ago, I accepted your request not to harm Arafat physically. I told him I understand the problems surrounding the situation, but I am released from that pledge."
Mr Sharon declined to elaborate and would not say how Mr Bush had responded. Last night the White House insisted that it was still opposed to Israel killing Mr Arafat.
"We have made it entirely clear to the Israeli government that we would oppose any such action, and have done so again in the wake of these remarks," a senior Bush administration official said. "We consider a pledge a pledge."
Mr Arafat responded by saying he took the threat seriously, but would stand his ground. "I am not afraid of Sharon's threats. He has a history of attempting to target me," he told an Israeli-Arab MP.
Mr Sharon had hinted at his change of policy in interviews earlier this month in which he warned that he might take unspecified action against Mr Arafat.
But yesterday's remarks were the strongest signal yet that Israel may follow up its recent assassinations in Gaza with the decapitation of the Palestinian leadership.
Mr Arafat, chairman of the Palestinian Authority, has been confined by Israeli security forces to his headquarters in Ramallah for two years.
After the recent strikes that killed the Hamas leaders Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and Abdel-Aziz al-Rantissi, Israel has widened the net and indicated that it will go after Hamas leaders abroad.
Its targeted killings have already included members of Mr Arafat's organisation Fatah and its affiliate the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which has been responsible for many of the suicide bombings against Israel.
Palestinian officials have expressed concern that Israel may attack Mr Arafat. Last night officials condemned Mr Sharon's "dangerous statements". Nabil Abu Rdeneh, an aide to Mr Arafat, said the remarks "could push the whole region into tremendous danger".
"We call upon the US administration to clarify its position on these statements and to bear its responsibility toward this escalation," he said.
Israel has always cited Mr Arafat as the main instigator of the second intifada, which began in October 2000. Since then more than 900 Israelis and 3,000 Palestinians have been killed in the violence.
In 2002 Israeli forces twice besieged the Muqata, the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority. Since the first siege Mr Arafat has not left the few buildings that remain in the compound.
Israeli forces have destroyed most of the Muqata, confining Mr Arafat to a couple of small rooms.
After each suicide attack Israeli ministers call for Mr Arafat's assasination or expulsion but Mr Sharon has hitherto said he was bound by his pledge to Mr Bush.
Palestinian commentators have suggested that the assassinations of Yassin and Rantissi were "trial balloons" to gauge the reaction of the Palestinians and the international community to a possible assassination of Mr Arafat.
The absence of any retaliation from Hamas or other militant groups has convinced the government that it could kill Mr Arafat without significant repercussions, the commentators believe.
It is more likely that it will transfer Mr Arafat to Gaza, which Mr Sharon proposes to evacuate of Israelis by the end of next year. Some analysts said last night that Mr Sharon's thinly veiled threat could be a ruse to persuade more voters in his Likud party to back his plan to withdraw from Gaza in a referendum next month.
Any attempt to arrest Mr Arafat would be likely to end in a bloody shootout. He has said he will never be taken alive by Israel. He keeps a machine gun close to his desk.
On Monday Mr Arafat told 20 people to leave the compound because they could attract an Israeli attack. Israel claims the men were involved in planning attacks against Israel.
The Foreign Office condemned Mr Sharon's threat, saying: "Violent action would be wrong in principle, undermine the cause of peace and spark an outpouring of Palestinian anger that would do nothing to improve Israel security."
At his monthly press conference on Thursday the prime minister, Tony Blair, said: "I disagree with the policy of targeted assassinations and hope we can get to a different situation where we can move forward in the Middle East."
But he also deplored Hamas's "explicit endorsement" of terrorist strategies.
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