Palestinian president Mr Yasser Arafat today rejected an Israeli threat to exile him, saying it was aimed at eradicating the limited self-rule Palestinians won in interim peace deals a decade ago.
"The danger here concerns Israel's determination to cancel the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinians as a partner," Mr Arafat told visiting diplomats at his West Bank headquarters in remarks on the 10th anniversary of the Oslo accords signing.
The Israeli security cabinet decided to "remove" Mr Arafat on Thursday following two Palestinian suicide bombings in response to targetted killing of Hamas members by Israel. Israel accuses Mr Arafat of fomenting violence in an almost three-year-old uprising in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, a charge he denies.
"The Palestinian people and the Palestinian leadership are committed to the peace process and to the agreements signed," Mr Arafat said, adding: "No one can deport me from my homeland, and that homeland of my fathers and forefathers."
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, long a staunch opponent of Palestinian statehood, made an about-face this year, saying the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza cannot be sustained. But he has ruled out Mr Arafat as a negotiating partner.