Israeli cabinet secretary Gideon Saar declined to rule out the army storming Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s office on Saturday as he made clear the Jewish state’s determination to capture some 20 security commanders holed up with him.
”We don’t discuss operational options and the way in which our aims will be achieved,” Saar told public radio when asked explicitly about the possibility of troops being sent in to seize the commanders accused by Israel of links with militant groups.
”The army knows very well what it has to do and it will receive instructions from the political leadership as necessary.
”The aims are clear. They are first to isolate Arafat, second to capture the wanted terrorists, and third to make (the Palestinians) pay a price for the latest attacks,” he said, in reference to back-to-back suicide attacks which killed nine people, including the bombers, on Wednesday and Thursday.
Meanwhile Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer repeated that Israel did not intend to expel Arafat or harm him, in a telephone conversation with the Palestinian leader’s number two, Abu Mazen, Israeli public radio reported.
Israel only wanted to obtain the surrender of the wanted men in Arafat’s office, he said. The remainder had nothing to fear and could leave the building freely.
Ben Eliezer made similar remarks on Friday. – Sapa-AFP