TEL AVIV, Sept 16: Israel dismissed a ceasefire call by Yasser Arafat’s security adviser on Tuesday as the UN Security Council prepared to vote on a resolution opposing Israeli threats to “remove” the Palestinian president.
“This is not the type of ceasefire which may entice us to change our policy,” said Israeli Justice Minister Yosef Lapid.
He called instead on the Palestinians to “take up the fight” against militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Mr Lapid told foreign journalists that if the Palestinian Authority (PA) does not confront militants, “we have to do it”.
Mr Arafat’s national security adviser, Jibril al Rajoub, had called earlier on Israel to stop “assassinations” of militant leaders, raids and punitive demolitions of homes.
“Given that Israel caused the collapse of the first ceasefire as a result of its continued assassinations, we call for a truce that will be respected by both sides, foremost by Israel, and by the Palestinian factions,” Mr Rajoub said. Militant factions that declared a ceasefire on June 29 cancelled the truce seven weeks later after Israel killed a senior Hamas political leader in a missile strike that followed a suicide bombing which killed 23 people in occupied Al Quds.
Asked about Mr Rajoub’s call, aides to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon referred to a cabinet statement last week on Mr Arafat which ruled out a truce as a way to “fight terror”.
Accusing the Palestinian president of fomenting violence, the Israeli cabinet announced that Israel would “remove” him as “an obstacle to peace”, but did not say when.
Israeli ministers said options included exiling, isolating or killing Mr Arafat, threats that touched off an international outcry and returned to centre stage a leader who has been largely snubbed by international peace mediators.—Reuters
