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`The road map is dead:' Arafat

An Israeli soldier shouts at a Palestinian woman trying to cross through the Howara roadblock near the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday. PHOTO: AFP

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat yesterday was quoted as saying that the US-backed "road map" for Middle East peace is dead and that Israel is to blame.

The plan, launched June 4, calls on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to end nearly three years of violence and envisions the establishment of a Palestinian state by 2005.

The plan has been stalled for several weeks because of renewed fighting and a deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians on the dismantling of armed groups. Israel has accused Arafat of getting in the way of the road map and trying to undermine his prime minister, the US-backed Mahmoud Abbas, at every turn.

The CNN Web site yesterday quoted Arafat as saying the peace plan has no future.

"The road map is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks," Arafat said.

The latest escalation was set off by a Hamas bus bombing in Jerusalem in mid-August in which 21 people died. Since then, 16 Palestinians -- 11 Palestinian militants and five bystanders -- have been killed in six Israeli helicopter strikes in the Gaza Strip. After the first of the strikes -- which killed Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab -- Hamas and other militant Palestinian groups announced that they were cancelling a seven week ceasefire with Israel.

Meanwhile, calling Arafat the biggest obstacle to peace, an Israeli defense minister said on Tuesday that Israel could seek to expel the Palestinian leader by the end of the year,

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who has long supported expelling Arafat, issued the warning as Arafat and Abbas remained locked in a power struggle.

Abbas is increasingly unpopular at home and could be ousted, possibly in a parliament vote next week. Arafat and Abbas have clashed on control of security forces and key appointments, threatening a rift that could hinder peace efforts.

Palestinian Cabinet Minister Ghassan Khatib said Mofaz's threat of expelling Arafat only raised tensions, "but is consistent with the spirit of escalation of the Israeli leadership."

In an interview with Israel's Army Radio, Mofaz said Arafat was blocking progress on the road map.

"Arafat, of course, has become the most significant obstacle both to the leadership of [Abbas] and to the peace process," Mofaz said. "I think that he has to disappear from the stage of history, and not be included in the ranks of the Palestinian leadership."

The defense minister said Israel made a "historic mistake" when it decided not to exile him two years ago.

"With regard to the future, I think we will be compelled to deal with this issue within a relatively short period of time, very possibly even this year," he said.

Mofaz said if Israel decides to expel Arafat, the timing would have to be chosen carefully so as not to undermine Abbas, who Israel believes is serious about reaching a peace deal.
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