Free, Arafat faces challenge to lock up terror

‘‘With our blood and our souls, we will redeem you, Abu Ammar,’’ hundreds of Palestinians chanted, using Arafat’s nom de guerre, as they thronged around him hours after Israeli forces completed their withdrawal from the presidential compound.

Asked how he felt as he toured a ministry building, Arafat pointed to a group of children and said: ‘‘One of these children will wave the flag over a Palestinian state.’’

The Israeli military pulled out following the transfer of six Palestinian militants wanted by Israel to a prison in Jericho, where they were placed under guard by British and US wardens. The transfer means Arafat will again be allowed to move freely through the West Bank and Gaza territories and even overseas.

The US Government expects Arafat to use his new freedom to exert greater control over Palestinian militants and has enlisted Saudi Arabian officials to reinforce that message with Arafat. If Arafat complies, it would raise pressure on Israel to withdraw its military from other parts of the West Bank, possibly paving the way for a full ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinians.

Arafat’s release is expected to focus attention on the remaining flashpoint in the West Bank: Israel’s siege of the Church of the Nativity, where nearly 200 Palestinians and clergy remain holed up.

For now, Arafat plans to focus his attention on the ‘‘reconstruction and rebuilding’’ of Palestinian cities and towns heavily damaged during Israel’s recent military incursion last month, said Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority.

However, in a sign that tensions remain high, Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian, identified by witnesses as a security force member, and wounded two other people in the Church of the Nativity compound in Bethlehem.

(Reuters)