(Ha'aretz) - Following unanticipated U.S. pressure, a team of senior cabinet ministers decided Sunday morning to ease the siege at Arafat's Ramallah headquarters, imposed after a homicide bus bombing in Tel Aviv. Army Radio reported Monday that security officials believe most of the wanted men had escaped the compound after the IDF withdrew from the area. Minister Natan Sharansky explained to Israel Radio, "We did not assess the situation correctly, when we made the decision two weeks ago, the extent to which America had already begun the countdown to an attack on Iraq, that just during those days America would enter into confrontations with the UN and Europe, and would be unable to tolerate one more confrontation."
2002-09-30 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive