A defiant Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Saturday condemned an Israeli threat to exile him as a bid to block Palestinian independence, and appealed for international intervention.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in support of Arafat in the occupied territories, shooting guns into the air in Gaza City, and forming a human chain and vowing to sacrifice their lives at his battered headquarters in Ramallah.
Violence erupted in the city of Nablus, where Israeli troops killed an elderly bystander during clashes with Palestinian gunmen, witnesses said.
Israel cited self-defence as justification for a Cabinet decision to "remove" Arafat after two suicide bombings killed 15 Israelis on Tuesday in the latest surge of violence in a three-year-old Palestinian uprising for statehood.
"The danger here concerns Israel's determination to cancel the Palestinian partner and the Palestinian Authority," Arafat told diplomats and dovish Israelis who visited him to mark the 10th anniversary of interim accords that gave Palestinians limited self-rule.
Arafat said he was still committed to the latest peace drive, a US-backed "road map" to Palestinian statehood by 2005. "I appeal to you the Israeli people, together we can make peace," he said. "All this requires the international community pressure Israel to stop its policy."
With US backing, Israel blames Arafat for fomenting militant violence -- a charge he denies. But Washington does not want the 74-year-old ex-guerrilla leader exiled, fearing this would finish off the already tattered road map.
The UN Security Council on Friday echoed US concerns. A statement read by Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry of Britain warned Israel that removing Arafat would be "unhelpful."
Reeling from scores of suicide bombings and other attacks in the revolt that erupted in September 2000, Israel stood firm.
"No country would allow others to dictate how it should protect its citizens," said Raanan Gissin, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Arafat is a terrorist leader. We have no war with the Palestinian people and their aspirations."
Gissin said Israel would call up more reserves if necessary to continue "a relentless fight" against militants and prevent further attacks. He said Israel was "committed to the road map. We just don't have, at present, a partner."
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom denounced Arafat anew as an "obstacle to peace", and called for world help to "remove this obstacle."
Not all Israelis agreed. The opposition Labour Party criticised the threatened expulsion in a statement that accused the government of "taking steps to halt the peace process".
The issue also mired Palestinian efforts to end a political crisis. Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qurie has delayed plans to name a Cabinet to replace that of Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate who quit accusing Arafat and Israel of undermining him.
Protesters rallied for Arafat throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Tens of thousands thronged the streets of Gaza City on Saturday night. Some fired off assault rifles amid chants: "Our only leader is Arafat." Arafat addressed them via cell phone hookup, proclaiming support for a "peace of the brave."
Randa Taher and her two children were among the thousands of demonstrators that thronged Arafat's headquarters on Saturday.
RSS