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September 22, 2002
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Israel planted its flag in Yasser Arafat's compound Saturday and demolished more of his besieged offices, prompting thousands of Palestinians to pour into the streets in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in protest. Four demonstrators were killed by army fire.
In the largely demolished compound, Israel threatened several times over loudspeakers to blow up the building where Arafat is holed up -- the only one left standing -- unless wanted men inside surrendered.
Israel has said it does not intend to harm Arafat, and the army later said it had no plans of blowing up the building.
Arafat, who is confined to four rooms on the second floor of his office, appealed to militants Saturday to halt attacks on Israel, but refused to hand over members of his entourage. He spent the day making telephone calls and faxes from a conference room in the battered building.
Israel, preparing for a long standoff, planted an Israeli flag atop Arafat's office building. Israel said it would not withdraw from the compound before the wanted men surrender -- and left open the possibility that even then troops might not leave.
Early today, Arafat's Fatah movement led protest marches in several West Bank towns, defying Israeli military curfews.
In Ramallah, just a few miles from Arafat's compound, troops fired tear gas and live bullets to disperse hundreds of men, women and children chanting "long live Arafat, long live Palestine." Two protesters were killed by army fire, hospital officials said.
Two more people were killed in the towns of Tulkarem and Nablus. In Tulkarem, gunmen traded fire with Israeli troops. In the town of Rafah in the Gaza Strip, about 5,000 people joined the protests, some firing submachine guns into the air and holding up Arafat pictures.
The Israeli siege was expected to revive the Palestinian leader's sagging popularity, and put on hold recent attempts led by Arafat loyalists to force him to share power.
Arafat has been under Israeli siege before, including in 1982 in Beirut and for 34 days in the spring at his Ramallah headquarters, but he never seemed weaker.
The United States seeks to sideline him and Israel's prime minister reportedly is eager to expel him, held back only by warnings from Israeli security chiefs that such a step could backfire.
Three days into Israel's assault on Arafat's once sprawling headquarters -- launched in reprisal for a Tel Aviv bus bombing -- the main office building was surrounded by barbed wire, piles of debris and heaps of smashed cars.
Arafat and dozens of aides and security guards were confined to four rooms on the second floor of one wing after a tank shell destroyed the stairs to the third floor. Several more shells hit the building, and one dusted Arafat with debris.
Those trapped with him said Israeli troops demolished water pipes, the main kitchen and the pantry, but that there was enough water from rooftop tanks and stored food to last a few days.
The United States and the European Union have urged Israel to show restraint and have been trying to defuse the crisis.
France demanded Saturday that Israel halt the operation, saying it was unacceptable. The European Union's foreign policy coordinator, Javier Solana, said the raid would not help end terrorism, and would instead undermine efforts to reform the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinian officials said Israel's demand for the surrender of wanted men, including intelligence chief Tawfik Tirawi, was just a pretext, and the real objective is to humiliate Arafat.
"Sharon is implementing his plan of destroying the Palestinian Authority and the peace process, harming President Arafat and resuming the occupation," said Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat.
Israel TV's Channel Two cited security officials as saying the hope was that life would become so unbearable for Arafat as a result of the siege that he would choose exile.