"The Israeli government decided in principle tonight to "remove" Yasir Arafat, threatening the Palestinian leader with expulsion, jail or possibly death after almost three years of conflict that has defied solution, by force or negotiation. The decision, which Israeli officials said was unlikely to be put into action immediately, drew no direct criticism from the Bush administration, which simply repeated its opposition to any expulsion. Acting after two suicide bombings killed 15 people on Tuesday, Israel, which declared Mr. Arafat "irrelevant" in December 2001, appeared to be seeking another means of pressuring him. "It's a Damocles sword over his head," a senior Israeli official said. Yet for the moment, the decision, made by the security cabinet of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and couched in deliberately vague language, appeared to cast Mr. Arafat in a favorite role, as a besieged leader suffering with his people in defiance of superior force."
New York Times
8:09:08 PM 
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