Israel Was Ready for Drastic Measures

According to Haaretz Service, the recent spat of five suicide bombings in the space of 48 hours had driven Israeli officials to the brink of desperate measures.

Citing Army Radio, Haaretz said that Foreign Ministry officials were in the initial stages of weighing an alternative plan to ask European countries to grant Arafat asylum as an "undesired leader."

Furthermore, the radio report featured an unnamed senior official saying that "no limitations have been placed on security authorities in fighting terror."

According to the reports, the drastic, eleventh-hour options on the table before the vote this weekend to accept the internationally approved roadmap to peace included:

Any exercise of one or more of these options would, of course, require high-level governmental authorization.

However, according to the sources, the latest peace initiative that includes future statehood for Palestine had less to do with saving Arafat from ouster than the opinions of the heads of the intelligence services, who reportedly seriously opposed exiling Arafat.

Director of Military Intelligence Major General Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash) said last week that he opposed the exile even though he held Arafat responsible for the recent wave of terror attacks.