Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat accused Israeli Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon today of trying to torpedo his crackdown on terrorism with airstrikes on Palestinian cities.
"He doesn't want me to succeed, and for this he is escalating his military activities against our towns, our cities, our establishments," the Palestinian leader told
CNN
shortly after an Israeli missile exploded outside his West Bank headquarters.
He said Mr Sharon wanted him to fail "on what we decided, to face these terrorist activities. He doesn't want the peace process to start".
Israel denied it had targeted Mr Arafat, despite destroying a police post close to the building where he was working.
President Arafat's statements were echoed by Palestinian cabinet secretary Mr Ahmed Abdel Rahman who said the Israeli air strikes were an attempt by Prime Minister Mr Ariel Sharon to "destroy the peace process".
"Sharon wants to destroy the peace process and then to destroy everything else. He thinks that by targeting the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Yasser Arafat, he will solve the problem, but he is mistaken," he said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Mr Shimon Peres said earlier he did not expect Israeli forces to target Palestinian President Mr Yasser Arafat and that his country was not trying to bring down the Palestinian Authority.
"I don't think there will be action against Mr Arafat," Mr Peres told reporters at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Bucharest.
"Israel is hitting material, not people".
An Israeli strike against targets close to Arafat's headquarters had been more of a warning than a punishment, Mr Peres said.
Mr Peres said Mr Arafat was slower and more reluctant than he should be to rein in Palestinian militants.