Sharon dismisses Arafat plea

ISRAELI Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday dismissed an appeal by Yasser Arafat for a halt to attacks on Israeli civilians, calling it a ploy to boost the chances of Mr Sharon’s challenger in January 28 elections.

A Palestinian Cabinet statement on Saturday condemned “all acts of violence that target Palestinian and Israeli civilians” and added: “As the Israeli election date gets closer, we appeal to all our people to practise self-restraint.”

Analysts say a pre-election period of calm could increase the vote for Israeli Labour party chief Amram Mitzna who, unlike Mr Sharon, wants to reopen talks on a Palestinian state frozen since a Palestinian uprising erupted in September 2000.

Palestinian Authority leaders have openly voiced preference for Mr Mitzna in the election and Mr Sharon accused Mr Arafat, the Palestinian president, of interfering in the campaign.

“Not only is the murder of Israelis a constant and permanent goal for the head of the Palestinian Authority, it is also a political purpose,” he said at the weekly cabinet meeting yesterday.

“Killing Israelis way before the elections is fine, but once elections near it is better to stop, only to continue after the elections are held.”

Mr Sharon’s statement came amid new Israeli-Palestinian violence that may help him shift public attention back to security issues from the funding scandal that has eroded his right-wing Likud party’s huge lead in pre-election polls.

Weekend polls showed Likud had slipped to 27-30 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, not much better than Labour’s projected 24.

Mr Sharon has watched accusations of vote-buying in a Likud primary and his son's acceptance of a $1.5 million loan from a South African friend, allegedly to pay back illegal campaign contributions, undo Likud’s lead of 41 seats.