WASHINGTON, Feb 27 (IslamOnline) - Speaking to Israeli Radio Monday morning, Shlomo Filber, director-general of the Council of Communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza demanded that Yasser Arafat be "eliminated".
Shlomo's council also urged Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon to allow the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) to take a stronger stand against "terror attacks", and asked Sharon to not to loosen the closure imposed on Palestinian territories
The Council's statement called Arafat, "an enemy and not a partner," for peace.
Expressing a similar sentiment, Beit El community council head Uri Ariel told Israel Army Radio, "I suggest continuing without him [Arafat]. I'm sure we can find other Arab leaders, more honest, fairer, less murderous."
"This man who sends murderers should go home," Ariel said.
But Labor party member M.K. Binyamin said that assassinating leaders was similar to a declaration of "The war of 'Gog and Magog.'"
Binyamin commented, "There are rules of conduct and limits in this game and it is inconceivable to even consider liquidating a leader who may become a head of state."
But Council spokesperson Yehudit Tayar said Filber's comments were taken out of context and blamed the media for it.
Speaking to Jerusalem Post Radio she said that by "elimination" the Council meant the retirement of Arafat and not his assassination. Nonetheless she described Arafat as a "mass murderer who is responsible for deaths of Jews as well as Arabs."
Meanwhile, Israel Radio reported Tuesday that Tawfik Tirawi, chief of the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence said that his security forces have averted numerous assassination attempts on the lives of prominent Palestinian leaders.
He said one such notable recent attempt was made against Nablus Fatah chairman Isaam Abu Bakr.
