The Palestinian cabinet said today it would keep a top militant wanted by Israel in jail despite a court order to release him.
In a statement, the cabinet expressed respect for the High Court of Justice decision but said its ruling to release Ahmed Sa'adat cannot be implemented under the circumstances because of Israeli threats.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said earlier that Israel had taken all necessary steps to prevent the release of Sa'adat, leader of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine which assassinated an Israeli cabinet minister in October.
The group said it carried out the killing to avenge Israel's killing of a former PFLP leader.
"We will take all the necessary steps so that it will not be possible to release a person who was involved in murder, who ordered murder, and whose organisation carries out murders to this day," Mr Sharon said.
Sa'adat is one of six Palestinians being held in a West Bank prison in Jericho under British and US supervision as part of an internationally brokered deal that ended Israel's five-week military siege of President Yasser Arafat last month.
The prospect of Sa'adat's release had clouded a visit that US CIA director George Tenet began today aimed at restructuring the Palestinian security services against the backdrop of Palestinian suicide attacks in Israel and Israeli incursions in the West Bank.