Anger Over Plan to Oust Arafat

17/08/2002| IslamWeb

HIGHLIGHTS: More Palestinians Arrested in Hebron, Al-Khalil||PA Seeks Support in Arab Capitals||'Gaza-First' Withdrawal Talks to Resume|| STORY: Palestinian officials were outraged Saturday by an Israeli television report claiming the army had a contingency plan to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat by force.

The report, which did not cite any sources, said the plan had been approved in principle by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and entailed a raid on Arafat's Ramallah compound by special forces who would ensure he was not harmed during the operation.

"We denounce the mere thinking of such despicable ideas," said Palestinian minister Saeb Erekat, speaking from Cairo, Egypt. "At a time when we are trying to revive the peace process the Israeli government is thinking such ideas."

MORE PALESTINIANS DETAINED IN HEBRON, AL-KHALIL

In Hebron on Saturday, Israeli troops rounded up and detained several dozen Palestinians, checking their identification cards and taking them to Israeli-controlled parts of the city, witnesses said. The army said it was checking the report.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said on its Internet site that the army on Friday arrested suspected sniper Sudki Zaro, linked to the killing of 10-month-old Shalhevet Pass.

Israel had said Shalhevet was shot in the head March 26, 2001 by a sniper as her father carried her while walking in the divided West Bank city of Hebron.

On Friday the occupation army destroyed the house of Iyad Sawalha, an Islamic Jihad member who was responsible for a attack in which a bomber blew himself up in a car next to an Israeli bus in Israel's north on May 6, killing 17 passengers.

Occupation aroops also knocked down the family home of Murad Abu Asal, who blew himself up on Jan. 30, wounding two Israeli soldiers.

Israel has been demolishing family homes of suicide bombers and suspected militants in an attempt to dissuade other Palestinians from carrying out attacks. The Palestinians denounce the practice as collective punishment.

PA SEEKING SUPPORT IN ARAB CAPITALS

Erekat was in Cairo after traveling to Saudi Arabia and Jordan to brief foreign ministers on his recent trip to Washington, where he met with Secretary of State Colin Powell and other officials. Speaking by telephone, Erekat said his talks with Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres were also discussed.

'GAZA FIRST' WITHDRAWAL TALKS TO RESUME

Palestinians and Israelis have been meeting for days to work out a plan for easing tensions, so far making little progress.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was expected to continue his consultations with Palestinian Interior Minister Abdel Razak Yehiyeh on an Israeli proposal called "Gaza first," under which Israel would pull its forces back from the outskirts of Palestinian population centers in Gaza and turn security over to Palestinian forces as a test case. If successful, Israel would implement the same procedure in the West Bank.

Palestinians rejected the plan, insisting a withdrawal from Gaza be paralleled with the removal of troops from at least one West Bank town.

Israeli forces moved into seven of the eight main West Bank towns following two suicide attacks in mid-June. Palestinian officials say the Israelis have destroyed their security services in the West Bank and they cannot stop militants planning attacks against Israelis.

PHOTO CAPTION

Israeli soldiers transport Palestinain men, inside an army armored vehicle, to a checkpoint in the Israeli controlled section of the West Bank town of Hebron to have their papers checked Saturday Aug. 17, 2002. The Israeli army detained and checked documents of Palestinains who were breaking a city-wide curfew in Hebron. (AP Photo/Nasser Shiyoukh