Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon said this evening peace was not possible with Mr Yasser Arafat and that the US administration agreed he should no longer lead the Palestinian people, in an interview with CNN.
"You cannot reach peace with him (Arafat)," Mr Sharon said.
"It should be clear that Arafat is not, in the eyes of the Americans, the one that should lead negotiations or lead his nation," he added, repeating his view that US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell made a "mistake" in meeting Mr Arafat.
Mr Sharon also told CNN that his troops could leave reoccupied West Bank towns in a week, but said the pullback could take longer in Ramallah and Bethlehem if "terrorists" are not handed over.
"In some towns we might be finished in two days, in another within a week," he said.
He said his forces would not leave Ramallah until the alleged killers of tourism minister Mr Rehavam Zeevi and a financier linked to an arms scandal were handed over.
He added that some 200 gunmen holed up in a church in Bethlehem would have to face exile or trial in Israel, although he said that otherwise the army's mission in the town was complete.
He said the pullout from Jenin in the north "could be a matter of a couple of days, Nablus could be a few days more," he said.
He added that the forces would withdraw a short distance from the towns at first and then pull back further if the situation remained quiet.
AFP