Britain Urges Israel to End Siege of Yasser Arafat

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, September 23, 2002

Britain Urges Israel to End Siege of Yasser Arafat

Britain on Sunday called for an early end of the siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and said it was lodging a formal protest with Israel.

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Britain on Sunday called for an early end of the siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and said it was lodging a formal protest with Israel.

"I am deeply concerned by the continuing deployment of Israeli troops in Ramallah and have today instructed our ambassador to raise my concerns directly with the Israeli government," Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said in a statement.

"This blockade and damage to President Arafat's compound is notjustified. I urge an early end to this action," Straw said.

"We all understand Israel's paramount need for security and to protect itself from terrorist attack. But it is hard to see how the action in Ramallah will solve the problem of Palestinian violence," added the statement.

Since Thursday, Israeli troops have besieged Arafat's headquarters in the city of Ramallah, sparking mass protests by Palestinians on Sunday during which four demonstrators were shot dead.

Arafat has vowed never to surrender to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and refused to hand over 50 suspected militants who Israel says are holed up with him in his devastated presidential headquarters.

Reports said Israeli troops have devastated most of Arafat's headquarters, a symbol of his power, in response to suicide bombings in Israel last week.

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