Israel to Issue Ultimatum to Palestinians

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is set to issue an ultimatum to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and demand Arafat to turn over any suspects involved in the killing of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi on Wednesday, government sources said.

The ultimatum was reached on Wednesday night during a session of emergency cabinet meeting, which was convened by Sharon to discuss possible retaliations against the Palestinians.

According to the government sources, Israel will ask Arafat to take severe actions against the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which already claimed responsibility for the killing of Ze'evi.

Israel would also demand the Palestinians hand over those suspects to Israel, the sources added.

If the Palestinians do not correspond to the ultimatum or take actions against the wanted suspects, the Israeli army will take " serious measures," the sources said.

The Israeli army is mulling over suggestions for possible response to the incident, they declared.

One of Israel's extradition targets was clear: PFLP leader Ahmed Sadat, who was recently elected to replace his predecessor Abu Ali Mustafa assassinated by the Israeli army on August 27. The PFLP had declared that its killing of Ze'evi was the revenge for the assassination of Mustafa.

At least one Israeli government sources claimed that the Israeli army would try to "liquidate the PFLP."

Israeli officials said the ultimatum showed Israel's angry toward Arafat's handling of the whole incident. Israel's Army Radio reported that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) released a spokesman for the PFLP after arresting him early Wednesday.

Israeli intelligence sources confirmed that they had information that Arafat had in fact ordered the arrest of the terror cell.

Meanwhile Palestinian sources said that even if the killers were arrested, they would not be extradited to Israel as the Jewish state demanded. They would only be brought to trial in Palestinian courts, they said.








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