By JACK KATZENELL, Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM (AP) - Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (news - web sites) said Thursday that a Palestinian state must never be established and that Yasser Arafat (news - web sites) must be overthrown.
Polls indicate Netanyahu has a strong chance of returning to power, and his statements were seen as a direct challenge to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites). Both belong to the right-wing Likud party, but last summer Sharon came out in favor of a Palestinian state, albeit on much less land than the Palestinians claim.
There is strong support for Arafat's expulsion among hard-line elements in the Likud. Sharon has branded Arafat a terrorist and bitter enemy of Israel, but has stopped short of advocating Arafat's ouster, something the United States opposes. Netanyahu said if the Palestinians achieve independence, Israel will be unable to prevent them from bringing in arms, even if they sign an agreement prohibiting the import of weapons.
The ex-prime minister said the problem was highlighted by Israel's recent seizure of a ship with contraband weapons which Israel says were destined for the Palestinians.
``With its own independent port, such a state would receive shiploads of arms, day and night, and we would find ourselves facing a terrorist state, armed to the teeth,'' he told Israel Radio.
The only way to stop the current Palestinian attacks on Israelis is to bring down the Palestinian Authority (news - web sites) and its leader, Netanyahu said. Expelling Arafat ``would make clear to any future Palestinian leadership that if you resort to terrorism, your fate will be like that of the Taliban and Arafat,'' Netanyahu said.
Netanyahu said that at a forthcoming session of the Likud Central Committee he will support a motion stating a Palestinian state must never be established.
A less important Likud forum, the political bureau, passed such a resolution earlier this week, but a decision of the Central Committee would be binding on the party leader.