Arafat Must Be Overthrown: Netanyahu

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 18, 2002

Arafat Must Be Overthrown: Netanyahu

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a Palestinian state must never be established and that Yasser Arafat must be overthrown.

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Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that a Palestinian state must never be established and that Yasser Arafat must be overthrown.

Polls indicate Netanyahu has a strong chance of returning to power, and his statements are seen as a direct challenge to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Both belong to the right-wing Likud party, but last summer Sharon came out in favor of a Palestinian state, albeit on much less land than the Palestinians claim.

There is strong support for Arafat's expulsion among hard-line elements in the Likud. Sharon has branded Arafat a terrorist and bitter enemy of Israel, but has stopped short of advocating Arafat's ouster, something the United States opposes.

Netanyahu said if the Palestinians achieve independence, Israel will be unable to prevent them from bringing in arms, even if they sign an agreement prohibiting the import of weapons.

The only way to stop the current Palestinian attacks on Israelis is to bring down the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu said that at a forthcoming session of the Likud Central Committee, he will support a motion stating a Palestinian state must never be established.

A less important Likud forum, the political bureau, passed such a resolution earlier this week, but a decision of the Central Committee would be binding on the party leader.

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