Israeli troops have rehearsed a military operation to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat by air to a distant country, an Israeli newspaper said on Thursday. Israeli security sources confirmed a mock operation took place weeks ago, but did not give details. Palestinian officials said the report showed Israel’s true intentions for exiling the Palestinian leader. The daily Maariv said the operation called for whisking Arafat by helicopter to a ‘‘distant and isolated location’’, which TV reports said could be Libya or another Arab state. ‘‘This reflects the true intentions of the Israeli Government,’’ chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said.
