Arafat remains defiant

Ariel Sharon is intending to isolate the Palestinian leader

As Israeli forces moved against his headquarters in Ramallah, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat told Qatari Al-Jazeera satellite TV in a live telephone interview that the Palestinians would not surrender. The following are excerpts of the interview.

Arafat: They are attacking the presidential headquarters with tanks, armoured vehicles, machine guns and rockets. Some of our positions were destroyed. We have some wounded and we cannot evacuate them to hospitals.

We cannot forget the decision they have just made. They want me either as a prisoner, a fugitive, or dead. I tell them: Martyr. I tell them: Martyr, martyr, martyr...

Not a single person from the Palestinian people or the Arab nation could kneel down or capitulate

Yasser Arafat

We have chosen this path. We might end up as martyrs. But, one of our young boys or girls will definitely raise the Palestinian flag on the walls of Jerusalem, the minarets of Jerusalem, and the churches of Jerusalem...

The near and far should understand that not a single person from the Palestinian people or the Arab nation could kneel down or capitulate...

I address this call to my Arab and Islamic nation, as well as to all Christians in the world. This is a holy land. In the West, it is called Terra Santa , the holy land. We are defending these holy places...

Interviewer: Mr President: How do you assess the Arab stand on what is happening in the Palestinian territory? And what about the contacts you held with the US Administration and the Arab brothers?

Arafat: Forget not that it is difficult to contact America now because it is nighttime there. We are holding contacts with our brothers in the Arab and Islamic countries, as well as with our friends in Europe and in Russia. We also informed the US envoys of the situation. We told them: Move. Where are you going? Do you not know that this will shake the Middle East? ...

Interviewer: Is it possible that the Israeli forces may try to assassinate you?

Arafat: Oh wow! They're welcome to do so...

This is the Israeli response to every peace effort because they do not want peace

Yasser Arafat

Interviewer: Do you believe that this large invasion by the Israeli occupation forces comes in response to the Netanya operation? Or is it in response to the Arab initiative at the Beirut summit?

Arafat: No, it is in response to the initiative of the Arab summit. The Arab summit adopted the initiative of His Highness Crown Prince Abdallah Bin-Abd-al-Aziz Al Sa'ud... This is the Israeli response to every peace effort because they do not want peace. They do not want peace. We must remember this...

Interviewer: Sharon says that this is a war that knows no geographical borders. What is the next stage, in your opinion?

Arafat: We are expecting anything. But no one is shaken, or afraid or is going back. We are all going to Jerusalem as millions of martyrs...

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.