Israel Ends Siege Of Arafat Compound

Israeli tanks withdrew from positions around Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Wednesday, witnesses said.

Tanks and troops also started retreating toward the outskirts of Ramallah from other positions they took up in the city before dawn Monday, the witnesses said.

As the Israeli tanks pulled away, police and security officers ran into the compound and shouted slogans in support of Arafat.

Tanks had encircled Arafat's battered compound in the raid, which the army said was intended to arrest militants blamed for suicide bombings against Israelis in the more than 20-month-old uprising against Israeli occupation.

The pullout came as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was returning from talks in Washington and London, where he said that because of Palestinian violence, peace talks cannot be conducted now. He blamed Arafat for continuing conflict.

This time Israeli forces did not enter the city-block-sized compound in Ramallah. In an operation last week, responding to a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed 17 Israelis, tanks and bulldozers broke through the outside wall and destroyed three buildings, including Palestinian intelligence headquarters.

During their operation in Ramallah, soldiers arrested about 50 Palestinians, uncovered a bomb laboratory and found two car bombs ready for use, the military said.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had said that the operation in Ramallah would be limited to one or two days.

The Palestinian Authority denounced the incursion, charging that soldiers were firing indiscriminately at residents.

The region was mostly calm during the day Wednesday after widespread violence Tuesday that left 11 Palestinians and one Israeli dead.

A senior official in Sharon's entourage said two days of talks in Washington with President Bush, senior administration officials and congressional leaders were successful.

Top Arafat aides, however, were sharply critical of the strong support that Sharon received in Washington.

"This American approval is very dangerous," said Palestinian Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. "It shows that President Bush supports the toppling of the Palestinian Authority."

Mr. Bush said he wanted to see the development of Palestinian institutions in preparation for Palestinian statehood. But he has also had harsh words for Arafat and has not criticized recent Israeli military incursions carried out in response to Palestinian bombings in Israel.

Sharon has often said he does not think peace negotiations could be successfully held while Arafat remains in power. The Israeli leadership has also debated sending Arafat into exile but stopped short of making that move for the time being.

"I think Mr. Bush made a critical mistake by supporting this crazy prime minister whose policy is endangering the interests of the United States in the Middle East," said Jibril Rajoub, a Palestinian security chief in the West Bank.

In Tuesday's violence, the dead included a 9-year-old Palestinian boy who was hit by a bullet in his home, a thatched hut in the Gaza Strip, in what his mother said was unprovoked Israeli shooting. An Israeli army watchtower is about 200 yards from the home. The army said it was not aware of any such shooting.

Also, a Palestinian suicide bomber struck Tuesday night north of Tel Aviv, killing a 15-year-old Israeli girl. It was the 68th suicide bombing since the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian fighting in September 2000.

The Palestinian leadership issued a statement denouncing the attack, saying "it gives Israel a reason to attack the Palestinian people."

And just before midnight Tuesday, troops fired on seven armed Palestinians who approached the road leading to the Jewish settlement of Netzarim in Gaza, killing four, the army said. There was no exchange of fire, but the army said it found explosives and assault rifles on the bodies. Israel Radio reported a fifth attacker later died of his wounds.

Meanwhile, a majority of Palestinians hope the current round of Mideast fighting will lead not just to a Palestinian state, but to the destruction of Israel, a poll found.

Fifty-one percent of those surveyed believed the Palestinian goal of the conflict was to "liberate all of historic Palestine," a reference to all the land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River, including Israel. In December, 44 percent held that view, according to the Jerusalem Media and Communication Center, a Palestinian think tank.

The poll also found a large majority of Palestinians still support the ongoing fighting, though the numbers have dropped somewhat, from 84 percent in March to 79 percent now.

Palestinian backing for suicide bombings was still strong, but also down slightly, from 74 percent in December to 68 percent today.

The poll, released Tuesday, questioned 1,170 Palestinians and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.