Israel warns Arafat of detention, deportation

But tensions still simmer over 6,000 Palestinians in Israeli jails. Israel has said several hundred ‘‘minor offenders’’ could be freed — not enough to satisfy Palestinians who view the release of prisoners as key in any peace process. Abbas spoke with British PM Tony Blair on Saturday and asked him to pressure Israel to release prisoners, a senior Palestinian official said. Israeli PM Ariel Sharon is to meet Blair in London on Monday and push for Arafat’s deeper isolation.

Palestinian officials say Abbas’s credibility is at stake over his failure to win concessions from Sharon. ‘‘Sharon is working on obstructing the road map,’’ Arafat told reporters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he has been blockaded by Israel after waves of suicide bombings last year. Israeli officials have in the past said deporting, arresting or even killing ex-guerrilla leader Arafat were viable options.

The Palestinian Cabinet called on the international community to continue dealing with Arafat and said it would pursue prisoner releases. Though not part of the roadmap, the issue is likely to be raised during Sharon’s visit to Washington, which an Israeli official said was expected in the last week of July. Sharon was quoted on Sunday as accusing European countries of delaying peace in West Asia by siding too much with Arafat.

Sharon told the Norwegian daily Aftenposten that European nations should isolate Arafat. ‘‘Europe is maintaining contact with Arafat, meeting him, ringing him, and in this way is delaying a solution to the problems here in West Asia,’’ he said. ‘‘I think there should be a joint effort to remove him from all posts,’’ he added, accusing Arafat of trying to prevent Abbas from working for peace.Sharon did not single out European nations for criticism and said that he viewed Norway as a ‘‘friend and a supporter.’’