Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon charged on Monday night that Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Chairman Yasser Arafat is "directly responsible" for the "terrorist attacks" on Israel and the sufferings of the Palestinian people.
In a televised address to the nation, Sharon said Israel has been dragged into a "war of terrorism" and it will use all the means it has to fight the war.
Sharon said during his talks with US President George W. Bush, the president asked him to express his deepest condolences to the Israeli people who suffered from the terrorist attacks.
Sharon said the United States is a great ally of Israel and will stand with Israel side by side in the war against terrorism.
Sharon said the goal of those who perpetrate, help and are behind terror is to make the Israelis lose hope and vision, and drive them out of their land, and they will not succeed. He said these people will bring about their own destruction.
Sharon called on his people to stand united in the times of emergency.
He charged that Arafat had chosen the strategy of terror and aimed to achieve political goals and has done nothing to combat terrorism. Therefore, Arafat is responsible for everything and is an obstacle to peace and stability in the region.
However, he declined to declare Arafat as an enemy of Israel but said Israel knows how to take appropriate actions.
Sharon stressed that he would soon convene a cabinet meeting after his speech, noting that all issues would be brought up for discussions and clear cut decisions will be then made.
Asked how he would respond to the opposition of Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer to topple the PNA, Sharon said he attaches great importance to the unity of the coalition government.
The address is the first public speech made by Sharon after the grave bombing attacks in Jerusalem and the northern city of Haifa over the weekend, which left 25 Israelis dead.
Before his speech, Sharon held a three-hour urgent session with key cabinet ministers and senior military advisors, after his return to home Monday morning from his tour to the United States.
At the meeting, the military establishment was given the right to do what they see as appropriate in accordance with the situation, Israel Radio reported.
Ben-Eliezer and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres who are from the left-wing Labor Party were strongly against any actions to topple the PNA leadership or target directly on Arafat.
In the afternoon, Israeli helicopters fired at least 9 missiles at the headquarters of Arafat's presidential residence in the Gaza City and destroyed one of his two helicopters. About 30 Palestinians were reported injured in the air raids.
Following the air strikes on Gaza, the Israeli air force launched strikes on the headquarters of the Palestinian police forces in the West Bank town of Jenin.
The Palestinians have condemned the attacks, saying they would incur more violence and damage the chance of peace.
Sharon's spokesman Ra'anan Gissin also said that the attacks were not targeted at Arafat but were intended to send him a signal and force him to take actions against terrorism.
(Xinhua News Agency December 4, 2001)
