Israel's defense minister suspects Arafat in attacks

JERUSALEM -- Israel's defense minister said Wednesday he suspects Yasser Arafat's hand in a pair of suicide bombings and that Israel should review its policy regarding the Palestinian leader, whom it has confined to the West Bank town of Ramallah for nearly two years.

Two Israelis were killed and 11 wounded in Tuesday's bombings, one claimed by the Islamic militant group Hamas and the other by renegades of Arafat's Fatah movement.

The bombings were the most serious violations yet of a cease-fire declared by Palestinian militants June 29. A high-ranking delegation from Egypt was expected to meet with Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip this week to persuade them to maintain the shaky truce.

Israelis and Palestinians traded blame Wednesday, each accusing the other of not meeting their commitments under a U.S.-backed peace plan, the "road map" to Palestinian statehood.

Israel said the Palestinians must begin immediately to disarm militant groups, and that it will freeze any further steps until they do.

Palestinian leaders accused Israel of engaging in what they said were provocative acts, such as building a security barrier in the West Bank and carrying out arrest raids.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz renewed their criticism of Arafat on Wednesday, saying he was trying to undermine Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas.

"I wouldn't be surprised if Arafat is behind the recent terror attacks," Mofaz said. "Arafat continues to be an obstacle to this process. I am convinced that we need to reconsider the question of Arafat and what steps should be taken."

Mofaz has been one of the most outspoken proponents of expelling Arafat, a step frequently debated by Israel's Cabinet but opposed by Israel's security services and in the end vetoed by Sharon.

Those opposing expulsion say it would only boost Arafat's stature.

In an interview with the French daily Le Figaro, Sharon said Abbas must try to wrest control of the Palestinian security forces from Arafat.

Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat denied Mofaz's accusations, calling them "ridiculous and nonsensical."

"It's part of a series of accusations that aim at shifting the eyes of the world from the fact that the Israeli government is continuing to sabotage the vision of President Bush and the road map," Erekat said.

Arafat has been confined to his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah since early 2002, at times besieged by Israeli troops and at other times reluctant to leave for fear Israel might not let him return. Israel is boycotting him and accuses him of involvement in terrorism.

The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a militant group with ties to Fatah, has carried out scores of shooting attacks and a few bombings in the past three years. Fatah signed on to the June 29 cease-fire, but Al Aqsa renegades, including those funded by Iran, have said they will not observe it.

On Wednesday, Arafat mourned the death of a sister, Yousra Abdel Raouf al-Kidwah, who died in a Cairo hospital at age 77.

Arafat will not attend Thursday's funeral in the Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis, where his father is also buried, said an aide, Ahmed Abdel Rahman. Arafat would have to request Israel's permission to leave Ramallah.

"He (Arafat) was very upset and felt great sorrow that he couldn't participate in the funeral and couldn't see her while she was ill," Abdel Rahman said.

Abbas was appointed in April under heavy U.S. and Israeli pressure to find an alternative to Arafat.

The Palestinian leadership condemned Tuesday's suicide bombings, but Sharon said the Palestinian Authority must do more.

"Those who give the killers their instructions must be arrested, interrogated and punished," Sharon told Le Figaro. "The extremist organizations must be banned. Finally, their weapons must be confiscated and handed to a third party, the United States for example."

U.S. envoy William Burns met with Abbas in Amman, Jordan, on Wednesday, a day after meeting Sharon in Jerusalem.

The delegation from Egypt also hopes to hold talks with Arafat and Abbas, an Egyptian diplomatic official said on condition of anonymity.

The "road map" peace plan, which envisions the creation of a Palestinian state in 2005, requires the Palestinians to dismantle militant groups. Abbas has said he prefer to do this through dialogue rather than force.