Israel said today it would release papers later this week proving Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat was responsible for a weapons cache seized on a ship.
Mr Arafat, whose aides have denied he or his Palestinian Authority were involved, has ordered an internal investigation into the incident. He said any Palestinians found to be complicit would be punished.
Israel said commandos found 50 tonnes of mostly Iranian-supplied weapons when they seized the ship in the Red Sea on Thursday. It said the arms, valued at over $100 million, were destined for the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.
Israeli government spokesman Mr Raanan Gissin said the documents would be released in a day or two. He said they would include papers on the ownership of the vessel and the purchase of the weapons.
Asked whether any of the documents carried Mr Arafat's signature, Mr Gissin said "I don't know . . . these kinds of transactions are done with shell companies and fake names".
Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon has accused Mr Arafat of ordering the arms purchase, but Palestinian officials say Israel contrived the incident to undermine a US mission aimed at ending more than 15 months of bloodshed.
The ship's imprisoned Palestinian captain told reporters a Palestinian Authority official had given him his orders for the arms shipment but said he doubted top Palestinian leaders were involved.
Some Israeli officials and commentators have complained the government and army mishandled the information campaign on the seizure, saying that explained why the international community had not accepted Israel's account without reservation.