MIDDLE EAST: A makeshift Palestinian military tribunal, organised inside President Yasser Arafat's besieged Ramallah headquarters, yesterday convicted four Palestinians of the murder last October of Israel's Tourism Minister, Mr Rehavam Ze'evi. They were sentenced to jail terms ranging from 12 months to 18 years.
The impromptu hearing, condemned by Palestinian human rights activist Mr Bassam Eid as a violation of "international standards for fair trial", was clearly designed to pave the way for a withdrawal of Israeli troops from the area, where they have been stationed for almost a month.
But Mr Ze'evi's son, Yiftah, called the proceedings "a mockery of the State of Israel" and said the killers had to be brought to trial in Israel. And Israel's Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, who has been demanding their extradition as a precondition for a pull-back of his tanks, ridiculed the court. "They could have saved themselves the trouble", he said curtly. "In any case, they (the defendants) will be put on trial in Israel."
Mr Sharon has intimated that he might order his troops to storm the building, to arrest both those involved in the Ze'evi killing and Mr Fuad Shubaki, the senior financial adviser to Mr Arafat, whom Israel alleges oversaw the purchase of a shipment of Iranian arms intercepted by Israel in the Red Sea in January.
Perhaps to facilitate that kind of military operation, Mr Sharon is now offering Mr Arafat a way out of Ramallah - to Gaza. One of the prime minister's aides confirmed that Mr Sharon would guarantee Mr Arafat safe passage to the Gaza Strip, if he committed himself "to fight terror" there. The aides stressed that none of those currently with Mr Arafat would be automatically allowed to leave Ramallah with him.
Palestinian officials immediately rejected the idea as "an Israeli ploy". Mr Tawfiq Tirawi, the West Bank intelligence chief who is with Mr Arafat, also derided the notion that anybody could replace Mr Arafat as a leader or potential peacemaker.
"Only he can make decisions on the part of the people," Mr Tirawi said. Anyone who tried to oust him would be "executed in the main squares", he said - alluding to the fate of several Palestinians murdered recently for alleged collaboration with Israel.
Palestinian officials also reiterated their opposition to an Israeli suggestion for resolving the near-month-long siege at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, under which "wanted men" among the estimated 200 Palestinians inside would be tried by Israel or deported. Israel has rejected the Palestinian suggestion that such men be guaranteed safe passage to Gaza.
As the visiting Greek and Turkish foreign ministers held talks here on resolving the stand-off, nine young Palestinians left the church yesterday, in the apparent first fruits of negotiating efforts. Significantly, two coffins were also brought out of the church - containing the bodies of men killed in fighting in the compound area two weeks ago. Their removal alleviated fears expressed by some Christian leaders that the bodies would be buried on the church premises, traditional site of the birth of Jesus, and that this would prompt efforts to mark the spot as a Muslim shrine.
Although Israel has wound down much of its West Bank military offensive, launched after a spate of suicide bombings, the army sent tanks and armoured vehicles into Hebron yesterday morning, and killed a member of Mr Arafat's Force 17 unit during an exchange of fire, Palestinian officials said. Israeli officials said several Palestinians were arrested, including people poised to attempt suicide bombings.
Six more Palestinians were killed in violence elsewhere, including four armed men shot dead as they attempted to infiltrate the Kfar Darom settlement in the occupied Gaza Strip.