On the eve of Mr Yasser Arafat's talks in Dublin and London today with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, Israeli troops shot dead a leading Islamic militant in the West Bank, drawing complaints from Mr Arafat's colleagues that the army was deliberating violating a fragile cease-fire.
Mr Arafat has been asserting for some months that the Israeli army's chief of staff, Gen Shaul Mofaz, is promoting policies more hardline than those of his government. Remarkably that assertion was effectively endorsed yesterday by the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, and the Defence Minister, Mr Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who both reportedly spoke of firing Gen Mofaz.
Mr Arafat arrives in London as the beneficiary of rare public appreciation from both Britain and the US for pledging Palestinian support for the assault on terrorism, and for cracking down hard last week on street marches in support of Osama bin Laden.
Israeli officials acknowledge that Mr Arafat has enforced a marked reduction in intifada violence in the past few weeks. As a consequence, Mr Sharon told ministerial colleagues yesterday, Israel would withdraw its troops from two recently captured neighbourhoods in Hebron, and ease various restrictions on Palestinian movement in the West Bank.
Mr Sharon intends to continue the Israeli policy of "targeting" alleged intifada leaders. The killing yesterday of Mr Abed-Rahman Hamad, a leading Hamas militant, "is not the first, nor will it be the last" such action, Mr Sharon said. Israel alleges Mr Hamad, who features on a list of activists Israel has urged the Palestinian Authority to arrest, orchestrated June's suicide bombing in which 22 people were killed outside a Tel Aviv nightclub.
Alison O'Connor reports:
Mr Arafat is due in Dublin this evening for a meeting with the Taoiseach to discuss the Middle East situation. The request for the meeting was only made at the weekend. A Government spokeswoman said it was assumed Mr Arafat has requested the meeting because of Ireland's position as head of the UN Security Council.
Mr Ahern acknowledged yesterday that many of the problems of the global terrorism crisis and the Afghanistan conflict emanate from the Middle East crisis.