Israel fears an outbreak of total anarchy and the complete collapse of the Palestinian Authority in the event of Yasser Arafat’s death, according to an internal Foreign Ministry document leaked on Wednesday.
The document warned that ”hundreds of thousands” of Palestinians were likely to march on Jerusalem for the funeral of their veteran leader and stage mass demonstrations against the Israeli occupation of the territories, public radio reported.
The Palestinian Authority, which is headed by Arafat, could completely collapse in such a scenario, which would likely end in a situation of ”total anarchy”, the document added.
Arafat (75) has been effectively confined by the Israeli army to his West Bank headquarters in the city of Ramallah for the past two-and-a-half years.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sparked widespread condemnation after saying in April that he was ”no longer bound” by a promise he had earlier made to the United States not to attack his long-time arch enemy.
But senior members of Sharon’s government subsequently played down any prospect of an assassination operation.
Arafat was the subject of speculation about his health after he was forced to miss a number of engagements last year and has complained about the impact on his well-being of his continued confinement. — Sapa-AFP