Israel Cuts Contact With Arafat

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, December 13, 2001

Israel Cuts Contact With Arafat

Israel on Thursday cut off contact with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, charging that he was "directly responsible" for the latest bloody attacks that killed 10 Israelis and wounded more than 30 others.

The move appeared to throw into question a U.S. effort to arrange a truce to end more than 14 months of Palestinian-Israeli violence.

A statement released after Israel's Security Cabinet met in Tel Aviv said Arafat is "directly responsible for the series of attacks and therefore is no longer relevant to Israel, and Israel will no longer have any connection with him."

After the meeting, Justice Minister Meir Sheetrit said there would be no more contact with Arafat or his Palestinian Authority, including sessions of security commanders.

"We have been talking with the Palestinians at all levels for two years," Sheetrit said. "Now it is time for Israel to defend itself."

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