Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said on Wednesday that he is not afraid of the Israeli threats that he could be the next in line after Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who was assassinated on Monday morning. Arafat's remarks came amid growing fears in the PA that Israel was planning to bump off kill or deport Arafat. Senior PA officials warned that such a move would lead to an all-out explosion in the region. Arafat was referring to comments made on Tuesday by Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Yaalon, who expressed his hope that the killing of Yassin would send a message to others. "In the long run," Yaalon said, "I hope it shows all those who choose to murder us what kind of end awaits them."
| Those were some pretty yucky pictures... |
Asked whether Arafat and Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah are in Israel's crosshairs, Ya'alon quipped, "Judging from their hysterical responses, it appears they understand that it's getting closer to them. It is our view that the decapitation of the terrorist infrastructure is one means among the strategies in the war against terrorism."
| Makes more sense than stomping cheap, easily replaceable cannon fodder... |
Speaking to reporters in Ramallah, a defiant Arafat said, "We are a mountain that is not shaken by any wind. This is not the first time that they make such threats."
| "They shall not break my wind!" |
Arafat said he was not afraid of the Israeli threats to liquidate him and vowed to pursue the struggle until the Palestinians achieve statehood. He also renewed his call for dispatching an international force to the West Bank and Gaza Strip "to defend the Palestinians against Israeli crimes." |