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Sharon
Threatens To Throw Israel's Full Arsenal Against Palestinians
JERUSALEM,
21-May (Islam On Line & News Agencies) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
threatened Sunday to throw Israel's full military arsenal against the
Palestinians despite Arab calls of halting Israeli contacts and international
condemnation of Israel's air strikes on West Bank towns.
"We
will do everything necessary and use everything we have to protect Israeli
citizens," Sharon said in an interview with Israel's top selling Israeli
Yediot Ahronot newspaper.
The
paper also quoted a source in Sharon's office as saying that Israel had sent a
clear message to Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, that should the fatal
attacks continue Israel would act even more forcefully.
The
paper said Sharon spoke to US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Russian President
Vladimir Putin and new Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi at the weekend.
"The
Americans understand that we can't take this anymore," he added.
Also
in some of the strongest language used in this most recent conflict, Israel's
Communication Minister, Reuven Rivlin, said his country was at war.
Rivilin was quoted as saying Israel is fighting a war against what he
called "a terrorist entity" led by Arafat.
Israel
has adopted a public policy of demonizing Arafat and has often blamed him for
the escalation in the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories although
the uprising was triggered when Sharon encroached on al-Aqsa Mosque, a Muslim
holy site, on 28 September.
The
Palestinians blame the Israelis for the high number of deaths and say that if it
weren't for Israel's excessive use of force there wouldn't have been such
violence.
Arafat
often charged that a stalemate in what was called the Middle East peace process
was Israel's fault because of it's non-committed policy to agreements signed
between the two parties.
Sharon
also summoned his inner security cabinet on Sunday to discuss the deteriorating
situation after Israel's air strikes on Palestinian targets. Israel used F-16
air strikes on West Bank towns that lead to the death of at least 12
Palestinians on Friday.
Israel
used the American-made fighter jets for the first time since the Israeli army
occupied Palestinian and other Arab land in 1967.
He
is due to brief his ministers on the military operations at the weekend, which
saw Israeli warplanes deployed in bombing deadly raids over the West Bank.
Some
ministers are expected to air their criticism that the security cabinet was not
convened before Friday's air strikes, which left 12 Palestinians dead and
wounded hundreds more.
Reacting
to the Arab league statement on Saturday that called for an end of political
relations with the Jewish state, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres expressed
regrets at the Arab League's call, a statement from his office said. Peres felt
that Israel was facing one of the most difficult crises since the war that
accompanied its foundation in 1948, the statement said.
An
Arab League committee recommended Saturday that its 22 members cold-shoulder
Israel by stopping all political contacts with the Jewish State as long as its
"aggression" against the Palestinians continued.
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