JERUSALEM -- Yasser Arafat, in a televised address Sunday, called for an end to suicide bombings against Israel and said all ``terrorist activities'' by Palestinian militants must cease. Israel questioned whether the Palestinian leader would follow up his words with action.
In a speech to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, Arafat also said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had ``declared war'' on the Palestinian Authority and insisted that the Palestinians must have a state in the West Bank and Gaza with Jerusalem as its capital.
Palestinian attacks give Israel an excuse to escalate the violence, he said.
Today, I am reiterating my call for a comprehensive cessation to all the armed activities,'' he said. I call for a complete stop to all activities, especially the suicide attacks that we condemn always.''
``We declared the state of emergency and we have implemented a series of arrangements ... including declaring illegal all forms (groups) which are committing terrorist activities,'' he said, adding that Palestinian mortar attacks against Israel should also cease.
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said his country ``cannot judge by words or speeches. We have to try to follow the coming few days ... to see what's being done, not just what's being said.''
Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin noted there was no violence Sunday. ``When Arafat wants there can be complete quiet,'' he said.
Israel has repeatedly complained that Arafat has failed to act against militants, particularly groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which have been responsible for multiple suicide bombings.
Israel's Cabinet had declared Arafat ``irrelevant'' after a deadly Palestinian attack on an Israeli bus near a West Bank settlement last week. Israel has dismissed his efforts against the militants as insufficient and insincere, and he has come under U.S. and European pressure to take dramatic action.
Throughout his speech, Arafat said the Israelis were responsible for the current Mideast crisis. He said the Palestinians should observe a cease-fire, but did not explicitly call for an end to the 15-month-old Palestinian uprising.
``All have to respect this initiative. The Israelis do not respect it, and they don't want a cease-fire, but we are respecting our commitments,'' he said.
Speaking directly to the Israeli people, Arafat urging a resumption of peace talks. ``I would like to renew my call to the people of Israel ... to return immediately to the negotiating table,'' he said.
Arafat concluded the half-hour speech by saying, ``See you in Jerusalem.''
The Palestinians, who rely heavily on international support, have seen that backing decline following the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States and the subsequent U.S.-campaign against international terrorism.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said that the ongoing attacks by Palestinian militants were not only undermining peace efforts, they were also weakening Arafat's stature as the Palestinian leader.
He is being attacked and his authority is being destroyed by Hamas and (Islamic Jihad),'' Powell said in Washington on Fox News Sunday.''
The United States has called on its envoy Anthony Zinni to return to Washington after he was unable to broker a truce during three weeks of negotiations in the Middle East.
``Zinni went to help the parties, but they were not ready to be helped,'' Powell said.
In his speech, delivered from his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Arafat said he was aware that U.S. campaign against terror also was having an impact on the Middle East.
``We understand the changes in the world,'' Arafat repeated three times. Arafat's speech came after several days of intense violence.
In a series of Israeli raids Friday and Saturday into Palestinian-run areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, 10 Palestinians were killed, scores were wounded and at least 65 arrested. Four more Palestinians were killed while attempting to launch attacks, Israel said.
On Saturday, troops temporarily took over part of the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, a Hamas stronghold, arresting 15 Palestinians. Hundreds of Palestinian youths threw stones and set tires ablaze, and the confrontations escalated into shooting exchanges between Palestinian security forces and Israeli troops.
Despite the violence, the Palestinian Authority said it was continuing its own campaign against the militant groups. Police shut down 14 Hamas and Jihad offices in the West Bank. The offices oversaw cultural, educational and religious activities.
Israel has dismissed as a sham Arafat's reported arrests of 180 militants over the past two weeks.
Earlier Sunday, Arafat prayed at a modest mosque in the West Bank town of Ramallah to mark the Eid al-Fitr holiday, and afterward, called on Muslims to support the Palestinians.
We hope the Arab nation, and hope the Muslim nation, will stand beside us to defend our holy places, the Christian and Muslim holy places,'' he said. I call on my people to be patient because, in the end, the Palestinians will achieve what they want.''
