Israel: Powell's meeting with Arafat is a grave mistake

Israel has considered that the meeting the US secretary of state Collin Powell will hold with the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser Arafat will be a grave mistake" but noted he will not oppose it.

An official at the Israeli cabinet said that any visit to be held by a foreign official with Yasser Arafat and breaks his isolation will be an encouragement for what he claimed as "terrorism."

He said that the operation which resulted in killing on Wednesday 10 Israeli soldiers in Haifa is a "gift of arrival" given by Arafat to Powell.

Powell who will arrive today evening in Jerusalem said in Cairo he intends to meet with the chairman of the Palestinian authority.