Israel locks Arafat out of town again

JERUSALEM - Israel says it will bar Palestinian President Yasser Arafat from going to Bethlehem for next month's Greek Orthodox Christmas Mass and seized eight militants in a new raid into his territory.

After blocking Arafat from attending Mass on Christmas Eve - a decision that drew international criticism - Israel said he could still not go to Jesus' birthplace because he had not arrested militants who killed a cabinet minister.

Israel's insistence that Arafat remain stranded in the West Bank town of Ramallah came during a day of relative calm and talk of ideas to end 15 months of bloodshed.

A senior Palestinian negotiator said talks between Israelis and Palestinians were focusing on proposals to end the current conflict.

"The decision on Arafat was taken by the cabinet," Israeli spokesman Arie Mekel said. "We still demand that he arrest the ... killers."

Ahmed Abdel-Rahman, Palestinian Authority general secretary, said the Israeli decision could thwart efforts to restore calm.

"Their stupid decisions touching on religious issues can never create the suitable atmosphere that allows for calm and stability," Abdel-Rahman said.

Since Bethlehem came under Palestinian control in 1995 Arafat, who like most Palestinians is a Muslim, has attended both the Christmas Eve Mass on December 24 and that for the Greek Orthodox Christmas, which starts on January 6.

Israel's ally the United States joined criticism of the ban. "We regret the Israeli Government's decision to deny Chairman Arafat permission to travel to Bethlehem to join the Christmas ceremony as he has in past years," State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in Washington.

Arafat has been stranded in Ramallah since early this month amid Israeli reprisals for a wave of Palestinian bombings. Israel says he has not gone far enough in reining in the militants behind suicide attacks that have killed scores of Israelis. Arafat has arrested more than 100 militants and shut some of their offices.

Palestinian security sources said yesterday police shut down two Hamas workshops used to make mortars in the Gaza Strip.

Israeli forces arrested eight suspected militants from the Muslim militant group in a raid in Hebron as they came under fire from Palestinian gunmen. The Army said the arrests were carried out to "frustrate terror activity".

No casualties were reported, but a Palestinian Authority statement said Israeli arrests, blockades and incursions were destabilising and unjustified.

At least 792 Palestinians and 234 Israelis have been killed since September last year, when the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation began.

Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said talks between the two sides were focusing on a four-point document. "The aim is to find a political way out of the current crisis and not focus on security matters as Sharon always stressed."

Previous efforts to halt violence accompanying the Palestinian uprising have failed.

Ideas under discussion included establishing a Palestinian state on 42 per cent of the West Bank and most of the Gaza Strip, which Palestinian sources said was proposed by Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon insisted that the document "has no effect or weight".

Shaath said the two sides should agree on a framework peace agenda and then move to the first step - implementing internationally backed truce-to-talks plans within six weeks.

The second step involves agreement on when a Palestinian state would be declared, whether before final status talks or as a result of negotiations launched within eight weeks.

"The Palestinians say the [final status] talks should last for nine months and the Israelis say 12 months," Shaath said.

"The best [idea] is that a Palestinian state be declared as a result of the final negotiations."

Shaath said the fourth item in the framework was to agree on international and Arab supervision of the talks and of the implementation of any treaty that could emerge.

The outgoing head of Israel's military intelligence, Amos Malka, threw cold water on the notion of peace talks, telling reporters: "Our intelligence assessment is that Arafat isn't ready at this stage, and apparently isn't at all ready, for an historic compromise to reach a political deal."

- REUTERS

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