'Israel to consider US concerns over Arafat'

In his comments to the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Sharon also indicated he had bowed to US pressure to reroute the West Bank security barrier Israel is building to stop Palestinian suicide bombers from reaching its cities.

"You must realize that it is very difficult to promise that once you grab (Arafat) and take him, he will not be hurt," Sharon said about a possible operation to spirit the Palestinian leader out of his West Bank headquarters in Ramallah.

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"In any case, we will have to take US considerations into account," he said. "It is possible they are correct in their assessment that (Arafat's removal) will cause them problems in the Middle East. They are mainly concerned about Iraq."

Following a wave of suicide bombings Israel decided in principle this month to "remove" Arafat, calling him an obstacle to peace. It did not say how or when.

A senior US official said Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom promised during talks in New York on Thursday with Secretary of State Colin Power that Israel would consult with the United States before making any move against Arafat.

Israel, the official said, also made it clear it did not intend to take action against him right away.

Washington refuses to deal with Arafat, accusing him of fomenting bloodshed in a three-year-old uprising for statehood. But it opposes his expulsion from the Palestinian territories, saying he would only gain popularity in exile.

Arafat denies encouraging anti-Israeli attacks.

Commenting on a security barrier Palestinians describe as a "Berlin Wall" through land they claim for their future state, Sharon said it would not loop around Ariel, a major Jewish settlement about 12 miles inside the West Bank.

"There will be a gap," Sharon said, adding the break will be patrolled by Israeli troops. "In the meantime, we will build the fence. There will be another discussion with the Americans when we want to close the gap."

The White House told Israel on Monday the barrier -- an electronic sensor fence in most sections and a cement wall in others -- ran counter to US goals in the region.

Washington said steps should be taken to minimise the barrier's impact on the Palestinian people and the peace process. It wants its route to stick as closely as possible to the pre-1967 war that divided Israel and the West Bank.

Palestinians and human rights groups say the barrier blocks farmers from their fields and tightens already tough restrictions on Palestinian movement within the West Bank.

Meanwhile, gloom and low expectations cast a shadow over a meeting of Middle East mediators in New York yesterday because of uncertainty in Palestinian politics and a preoccupation with Iraq.

High-level representatives of the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations will meet at UN headquarters to take stock of the stalemate in carrying out the Middle East peace plan they floated in April.

The plan has bogged down over Israeli demands that the Palestinian Authority crack down on militants and Palestinian suspicions that Israel would give nothing in return even if the authority dismantles militant groups like Hamas.