Arafat Remains Defiant Amid Rubble of His Compound
Sealed up with at least 200 men in his dust-choked offices while Israeli bulldozers leveled buildings just outside and issued dire warnings over loudspeakers, Yasir Arafat defiantly declared today that he would not capitulate. At the same time, he called on Palestinians to halt attacks inside Israel.

Outside the compound, an Israeli commander said the siege and the demolitions would continue until all the Palestinians inside who are wanted by Israel, whose number rose today to about 50, surrendered. Mr. Arafat has refused to give up the men.

The pressures and tension continued to mount steadily into the night. Israeli soldiers used bullhorns to warn Mr. Arafat and those with him that they intended to blow up a building just outside his headquarters, urging the men to surrender or risk being wounded or killed. Mr. Arafat refused.

There were no explosions as of midnight, but bulldozers and backhoes continued to hammer at remaining buildings in the compound while giant floodlights played over Mr. Arafat's building.

Late in the night, thousands of Palestinian men, women and children heeded calls from mosques and converged on the central Manara Square in Ramallah to chant their support for Mr. Arafat and to pelt Israeli armored vehicles with stones. Israelis responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, and Palestinians said two people had been killed.

Violent demonstrations were also reported in Tulkarm, Nablus and Jenin, towns also under curfew, and Palestinians reported that one person was killed in Nablus and another in Tulkarm. Thousands of Palestinians were also reported demonstrating in Gaza, which is not under Israeli occupation.

In his first public statement since the siege began Thursday evening, distributed by the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Mr. Arafat declared, "We are ready for peace but not for capitulation, and we will not give up Jerusalem or a grain of our soil which we are guaranteed to us by international law."

He continued, "I reiterate my call to the Palestinian people and all our parties to halt any violent attacks inside Israel because Sharon exploits them as a cover to destroy the peace of the brave."
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/22/international/middleeast/22MIDE.html