Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said last night that he will allow PLO leader Yasser Arafat to visit Bethlehem for Christmas tonight, if Arafat arrests the terrorists who murdered Minister Rechavam Ze’evi. Israel says that the terrorist cell which perpetrated the assassination is just a few blocks away from Arafat’s Ramallah office. But Ali Jada of the PFLP gang, which took credit for the crime, said their location was unknown even to him, so there was no way Arafat could find them. Much pressure has been placed on the government by the United States, the European Union and the Vatican to enable Arafat to go to Bethlehem this evening. In some countries, the media claimed to see no connection between Israel’s demand that Arafat arrest the assassins, and his desire to attend midnight mass.



Earlier Arafat told reporters, \"Who does Sharon think he is to prevent me from going to Bethlehem?\" Arafat remains in his Ramallah office. He has been grounded there since Israel destroyed his helicopter fleet some two weeks ago.