Palestinian President Yasser Arafat called on all militant groups today to reinstate a ceasefire they formally broke off last week after Israel's assassination of a Hamas leader.
"President Yasser Arafat calls upon all the Palestinian factions to reiterate their commitment to the truce to give a chance to international peace efforts to implement the road map which the Israeli government refuses to abide by," Mr Arafat said in a statement issued by his office.
Mr Arafat said earlier he was ready to take action against militant groups if Israel halted missile strikes and other attacks on them.
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"I am prepared to implement the law (against militants) on condition Israel stops its attacks," Mr Arafat said in an interview. He did not elaborate on what steps he would take.
But he said he would not risk a Palestinian civil war, referring to fears cited by reformist Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in his hesitation to crack down on militant groups before Israel halts raids and pulls back forces in occupied territory.
Mr Arafat, largely confined to his Ramallah base since late 2001, said he had ordered the arrests of militant leaders before in the nearly three-year-old uprising for an independent Palestinian state and that he was ready to do so again.
Mr Arafat has been frozen out of peacemaking. The United States and Israel accuse him of inciting violence, a charge he denies.
Mr Arafat said he wanted to embrace the US-backed road map for peace, which has been backed by Mr Abbas. He blamed the collapse of the truce on Israel and called on Washington to restrain the Jewish state.
"Isn't the road map binding on Israel too? We were in control many times including our success in reaching a ceasefire but it was violated many times in a persistent and rude manner by most Israeli political and military leaders," he said.