RAMALLAH, Sept 19: Ten Israeli tanks, troop carriers and jeeps entered Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s compound on Thursday, sparking exchanges of fire which left two Palestinians injured, hours after a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv, Palestinian security sources said.

Top Arafat aide Nabil Abu Rudeina said two of Arafat’s bodyguards were injured in the clashes.

The Israeli armour rolled up to within 30 metres of the headquarters and soldiers announced by loudspeakers that a curfew on the West Bank town of Ramallah applied inside the compound as well.

The firing with heavy machineguns quickly died down but officials inside the headquarters building said the situation was extremely tense.

One senior Palestinian said that if Israeli troops tried to “enter president Arafat’s offices, the soldiers inside will fight to the last man, including the president”.

The Israeli army besieged Arafat’s base for more than a month after a March invasion of the West Bank also triggered by a major suicide bombing.

That siege was only lifted after US and British mediators negotiated the imprisonment, under international guard, of six Palestinians wanted by Israel who had been holed up inside Arafat’s compound.

Israeli media have said security sources suspected 25 wanted Palestinians were sheltering inside Arafat’s base, including the West Bank intelligence head, Tawfiq Tirawi.

Arafat isolation: The Israeli cabinet decided unanimously on Thursday to “isolate” Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat in his besieged Ramallah base and to demand the surrender of wanted Palestinians in the compound, public radio said.

The question of expelling Arafat from the Palestinian territories was raised in the emergency session but ruled out after security chiefs warned that such a move would do Israel more harm than good, the radio said.

The army besieged Arafat’s headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah hours after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed five people and injured more than 60 in Tel Aviv.

The day before, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed a policeman in northern Israel, ending a six-week lull in which no successful attacks were carried out inside the Jewish state.

Israeli government spokesman Gideon Meir said the army was calling on around 20 people to surrender.

Among the wanted men are the head of West Bank intelligence, Tawfiq Tirawi, accused by Israel of involvement in terrorist activities, and the commander of Arafat’s Force 17 bodyguard, Mahmud Damra, Meir said.

“There are between 19 and 25 in there. The Israeli defence forces are using loudspeakers and calling them to come out, to surrender because they are trying to make themselves immune (from arrest) by staying there in the headquarters,” he said.

Palestinian officials confirmed Tirawi was in the building.—AFP