Israel planned to stick to its decision to bar Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's annual Christmas Eve pilgrimage to Bethlehem yesterday unless he arrested the killers of an Israeli Cabinet minister, Israeli political sources said.
Israeli troops, apparently mindful of the Arafat's vow to defy the ban, stopped and attempted to search a convoy carrying Christian religious leaders to Bethlehem af-ter a solidarity visit to Arafat in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
The frail, 72-year-old leader said earlier he would attend Christmas Eve festivities in Palestinian-ruled Bethlehem, even if he had to walk from his Ramallah headquarters.
Israel said on Sunday it decided to block Arafat's journey to Bethlehem because he had failed "to dismantle Palestinian terror organizations." It was a clear attempt to strike another symbolic blow against Arafat.
Israel recently branded him "irrelevant" to efforts to end 15 months of bloodshed, but the US and much of the international community has opposed the declaration.
A senior Israeli political source said the ban would be lifted only "if he arrests people involved in the killing [of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi] who are in Ramallah ... by this evening."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine took responsibility for assassinating Zeevi in October to avenge Israel's killing of their leader.
Palestinian Cabinet minister Yasser Abed Rabbo denied any such condition had been relayed to Palestinian officials as part of international mediation efforts to change Israel's decision. "It's only in the media, for public relations," he said.
Israeli forces tightened their blockade on Ramallah overnight -- a move which Israel's Army Radio reported was to prevent Arafat from sneaking out.
Arafat has been stranded in Ramallah since Israel destroyed his helicopters in the Gaza Strip and stationed tanks near his Ramallah office in retaliation for a wave of suicide attacks.
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