Israel Air Force jets and helicopters have been pounding PA offices in Ramallah, Bethlehem, and Gaza intermittently, beginning last night and continuing today. IAF helicopters also bombed PA para-military police structures in Shechem this afternoon. IDF forces took action in the PA-controlled village of Dura, south of Hevron, where they arrested two terrorist suspects. One terrorist\'s house was demolished in the course of the operation - not as a punitive measure, but merely in an effort to draw him out of the building. No Israelis were hurt in the exchanges of fire that developed. Three other Palestinian terrorists were arrested last night in other areas.
A dramatic meeting of the security cabinet called by Prime Minister Sharon today ended almost four hours later somewhat anti-climactically: No decision was taken as to whether or not to tighten the siege on Arafat. Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Pereswere against re-deploying Israeli tanks around Arafat\'s compound in Ramallah, while Sharon and the other three ministers - Sharansky, Yeshai, and Shalom - were in favor.
Finance Minister Silvan Shalom said today that Arafat must be expelled from Israel, and explained why:
\"I know that Peres always says that if we get rid of Arafat, Hamas and Islamic Jihad will replace them. I say that if this happens, we will be better off, because Arafat - a terrorist in every sense, who has carried out more murders than Hamas and Jihad - is perceived in the world as a diplomat. He has relations with more countries than Israel does, and receives a red carpet wherever he goes. Therefore, our options in fighting him are more limited than they would be if we only had Hamas and the Jihad as our enemies…\"
Prime Minister Sharon said yesterday, \"We are in a difficult war against a cruel and bloodthirsty enemy. We must not break, or give in to despair, even when the pain is great - and the pain is great. We are in a war for our home, and we will win…\" Talking afterwards with reporters in the Knesset, Sharon said that the Palestinians must be dealt \"some hard blows\" in order to get the thought out of their minds that they can force an arrangement upon us. \"We can talk with the PA only after it and its forces and the terrorists bleed… They are a coalition of terror.\"
IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Yossi Kupervasser told the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday that Yasser Arafat is in constant contact with Fatah/Tanzim leaders, including Marwan Barghouti, and that the latter takes his orders and cues directly from Arafat. Fatah, the original organization with which Arafat took over the PLO, has taken the lead in the PA\'s recent terrorist campaign. IDF Intelligence also believes that the al-Aqsa Martyrs\' Brigades and the Tanzim were created merely to allow the PA to deny connections with the terrorism.
A dramatic meeting of the security cabinet called by Prime Minister Sharon today ended almost four hours later somewhat anti-climactically: No decision was taken as to whether or not to tighten the siege on Arafat. Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Pereswere against re-deploying Israeli tanks around Arafat\'s compound in Ramallah, while Sharon and the other three ministers - Sharansky, Yeshai, and Shalom - were in favor.
Finance Minister Silvan Shalom said today that Arafat must be expelled from Israel, and explained why:
\"I know that Peres always says that if we get rid of Arafat, Hamas and Islamic Jihad will replace them. I say that if this happens, we will be better off, because Arafat - a terrorist in every sense, who has carried out more murders than Hamas and Jihad - is perceived in the world as a diplomat. He has relations with more countries than Israel does, and receives a red carpet wherever he goes. Therefore, our options in fighting him are more limited than they would be if we only had Hamas and the Jihad as our enemies…\"
Prime Minister Sharon said yesterday, \"We are in a difficult war against a cruel and bloodthirsty enemy. We must not break, or give in to despair, even when the pain is great - and the pain is great. We are in a war for our home, and we will win…\" Talking afterwards with reporters in the Knesset, Sharon said that the Palestinians must be dealt \"some hard blows\" in order to get the thought out of their minds that they can force an arrangement upon us. \"We can talk with the PA only after it and its forces and the terrorists bleed… They are a coalition of terror.\"
IDF Intelligence Chief Gen. Yossi Kupervasser told the Knesset Security and Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday that Yasser Arafat is in constant contact with Fatah/Tanzim leaders, including Marwan Barghouti, and that the latter takes his orders and cues directly from Arafat. Fatah, the original organization with which Arafat took over the PLO, has taken the lead in the PA\'s recent terrorist campaign. IDF Intelligence also believes that the al-Aqsa Martyrs\' Brigades and the Tanzim were created merely to allow the PA to deny connections with the terrorism.