Israel this afternoon blocked US envoy Anthony Zinni from meeting Yasser Arafat in his Ramallah office, where the Palestinian leader has been trapped by Israeli troops since last week, a US diplomatic source said.
Zinni tried to arrange a meeting with the besieged leader both late yesterday and again today but was turned down by Israel, which cited security reasons for its refusal, the source told AFP.
Zinni last met Arafat yesterday afternoon. That was the first time since Israeli troops began a massive offensive in the West Bank a week ago, laying siege to the Palestinian's battered headquarters in a declared bid to isolate him.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who refused permission for a European delegation to see Arafat, had given the green light to Zinni after meeting with him Thursday.
AFP