- (AFP) -- Israel's decision to expel Yasser Arafat has
drawn warnings from around the world that the move would threaten the Middle
East peace process, as Palestinians vowed to fight to the death to protect
their veteran leader.
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- The Israeli security cabinet approved in principle Thursday
night the expulsion of Arafat as a rapid response to two suicide bombings
earlier in the week.
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- That sparked a spontaneous outpouring of support for
the 74-year-old leader on the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
with Arafat vowing he would never be taken alive.
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- The Israeli decision also prompted firm condemnation
from key global players, with the United States, France and Russia, three
backers of the Middle East peace "roadmap", speaking out firmly
against any move to expel Arafat.
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- A senior US administration official said Washington will
not work with Arafat but opposes expelling him because that would only
give him "a wider international stage."
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- "Our position on this is well known, longstanding
and unchanged," the official told AFP on condition of anonymity. "It
is unhelpful and it is not the solution."
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- Asked whether the White House had communicated its objections
to Israel, the official replied: "They understand our position; they
know what we think about this."
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- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had earlier chaired
a security cabinet meeting in the aftermath of the killing of 15 Israelis
in two suicide bombings carried out by Hamas militants near Tel Aviv and
in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
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- Israel, which has staged a series of air strikes against
Hamas in Gaza recently, has accused Arafat of giving the green light to
militant attacks.
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- "The events of these last few days have proved again
that Yasser Arafat is an absolute obstacle to all attempts at reconciliation
between the Israelis and the Palestinians," said a government statement
after the meeting.
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- "Israel will act to remove this obstacle in a manner
and at a time which will be decided afterwards."
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- According to a government source, the decision had effectively
given a green light to the army to expel Arafat when it sees fit, though
Israel has not said if, when or how it might act.
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- A defiant Arafat, who has been confined to his headquarters
in the West Bank town of Ramallah for the past 20 months, vowed: "No
one can kick me out. They can kill me kill me with bombs but I will not
leave."
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- In contrast to the position of the US administration,
a major Jewish lobby in the United States strongly backed the idea of expulsion.
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- "Yasser Arafat has destroyed every possibility of
every peace process, and Europe is fooling itself by playing games with
Arafat and repeating the mantra that he is leader of the Palestinian Authority,"
said Rabbi Marvi Hier, dean of the influential Simon Wiesenthal Center
in Los Angeles.
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- "He may be a Nobel Peace Prize winner, but he is
one who is dancing with terrorists and suicide bombers," Hier said,
rounding on French President Jacques Chirac for saying it would be a serious
mistake to sideline Arafat.
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- Chirac, speaking from Spain before the Israeli decision,
had said "Yasser Arafat is the legitimate authority" of the Palestinian
Authority.
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- "I think, and I believe the European Union also
considers that it would be a serious mistake to try to eliminate him from
the political arena," said Chirac.
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- After the announcement, French Foreign Minister Dominique
de Villepin warned that the decision would be "an action so extreme
that it would be a grave error."
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- Meanwhile, a statement from the Russian foreign ministry
said "such a step would remove the possibility of peacefully resolving
the Israeli-Palestinian crisis and would lead to an uncontrollable chain
of events in the worst case scenario."
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- EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana also expressed
his "strong concern".
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- China also warned Israel saying any such move would escalate
tensions in the Middle East and hinder the peace process.
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- "President Arafat is the legitimate leader elected
by the Palestinian people through elections," said the foreign ministry
in a statement.
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- "The Israeli government's expelling of Yasser Arafat
will further escalate tensions between Israel and Palestine and will not
help the Middle East peace process.
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- "We hope Israel acts with caution and avoids a further
deterioration of the situation."
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- And in Sydney, Australian Foreign Minister Alexander
Downer said: "I think the Israelis would be well advised to leave
Yasser Arafat in place and to deal as best they possibly can with the new
Palestinian prime minister, who is well known to us and is a very good
man."
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- But Palestinian prime minister-designate Ahmed Qorei
threatened to call off efforts to form a new government after the Israeli
decision, saying the move would make the composition of a government an
"issue without substance".
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- Qorei agreed to accept a nomination from Arafat to become
prime minister on Wednesday. Plans for him to be installed along with his
new cabinet on Thursday were postponed after disagreements over its make-up.
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- But on the ground, Arafat was hailed by thousands of
supporters as he ventured out of his headquarters after the cabinet decision.
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- He was carried on a chair by his bodyguards, blew kisses
and gave the victory sign after up to 3,000 supporters entered the Muqataa
complex.
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- "With our blood and our souls we will support you,
Abu Ammar," the crowd chanted, using Arafat's nom de guerre.
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- Arafat also joined in the chanting over a loudhailer
when they chanted: "With our blood and our souls we will support you
Palestine."
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- More than 5,000 people also took to the streets in central
Gaza City to demonstrate their support for Arafat after Islamic and nationalist
factions had urged them by loudspeaker to gather.
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- Hundreds of gunmen opened fire into the air, shouting
"Sharon go to hell", "Abu Ammar we will defend you forever"
and "Revenge, Revenge".
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