Jerusalem, July 13: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon urged European leaders to cut off ties with Yasser Arafat, and a key Sharon aide said Israel would consider deporting the Palestinian leader if he continued trying to "scuttle the peace process." A senior Palestinian official said yesterday it was Sharon's "incitement" against Arafat who is waging something of a power struggle against his moderate, U.S.-backed prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas that endangered peace moves.
The recriminations come at a delicate time, with violence markedly down but the sides deadlocked over Israel's demand militants be disarmed and the Palestinians' demand Israel release thousands of prisoners.
Both Sharon and Abbas are expected to travel to Washington in coming weeks for meetings that could be crucial to the "road map" peace plan aimed at ending 33 months of Mid East fighting and lead to a Palestinian state by 2005.
Sharon, who also travels to London today to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair, was quoted by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying European officials were making "a major mistake" by maintaining links with Arafat.
Yesterday, a British parliamentary delegation visited Arafat at his headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah.
"Every act of this nature only postpones the progress in the process," Sharon was quoted as saying. "By that they are undermining Abu Mazen," he added, referring to Abbas by his nickname.
Bureau Report