Analysis / Officials still split on expelling Arafat
written by: Amos Harel, 10-Sep-03
 The prevailing assessment in Israel's defense establishment yesterday afternoon was that the Tzrifin attack was perpetrated by a Tanzim cell from Nablus. If true, the attack could have been the tririgger to change Israel's policy toward Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, since Tanzim is affiliated with Arafat's Fatah movement.
But around midnight, the Hamas took responsibility for the attack both in Tsrigin and Jerusalem. As Sheikh Ahmed Yassin said last night, "the attacks could be by all the Palestinian groups, they are all fighting for vengeance."
The end of the cease-fire and the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas sparked renewed calls by Israeli politicians for Arafat's expulsion. If his Fatah organization indeed proves to have been responsible for yesterday's attack, this might encourage the government to either accede to this demand or to take other steps against Arafat. Several such steps have been considered over the last week, including severing his ties with the outside world by reinstating a tight siege around his Muqata compound in Ramallah and disrupting the compound's telephone connections.
Arafat's expulsion was once again discussed in last night's security consultations, but the defense establishment remains divided over the wisdom of the move, while Prime Minister Ariel Sharon attributes great importance to America's position. Thus far, the Americans have opposed deporting Arafat, but solid proof of Fatah involvement in yesterday's bombing might reduce their opposition - or at least get them to consent to a renewed siege of the Muqata.
The main Tanzim operative in Nablus is Naif Abu-Shreikh, who heads Fatah's military wing in the city. Abu-Shreikh has been involved in many previous suicide bombings and receives orders and funding from two sources: members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard stationed in Lebanon and Fatah members based in the Muqata.
Even before the Tzrifin bombing, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon, speaking at a conference in Herzliya, said that Israel would have to weigh its policy on Arafat in light of the fact that terror attacks are still being funded and commissioned from the Muqata.
Ya'alon also said that Israel would continue its attacks on senior Hamas officials. Israel, he declared, will hunt down terrorists wherever they are - "in the organizations' offices in Damascus, with members of Hezbollah and the Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon or among the Palestinian terrorist cells in the territories."
Meanwhile, however, defense officials said they are still worried by the large number of serious warnings of intended terror attacks.
Published in: Ha'aretz
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