Arafat condemns both Mideast strikes

Yasser Arafat, the isolated Palestinian president, condemned the Jerusalem suicide bombing and the Israeli strike on Gaza City and called for an immediate end to the violence.

“It is our duty now as Arabs, Americans, Europeans and Israelis to do our utmost to stop this deterioration and return to the negotiating table for the sake of the two peoples,” he said. Israel and the US have boycotted Arafat, accusing him of fomenting terrorism.