Israel came under strong criticism from its neighbours in the Middle East yesterday as Turkey joined Arab states in condemning the latest attacks on Palestinian targets.
Turkey, a major non-Arab country in the region and the only Muslim-majority NATO member-state, has long been seen as a regional ally of Israel. But Ankara yesterday joined Arab and Muslim opinion in criticising the Israeli Prime Minister, Mr Ariel Sharon, for ordering the harsh retaliatory strikes.
"Sharon is determined to implement very excessive, unjust measures against the Palestinian Authority," the Prime Minister, Mr Bulent Ecevit, said. "If this turns into an actual war, it may lead to a situation that could be more dangerous than the one in Afghanistan, particularly for our region."
In Iran - also a non-Arab power in the region - the Foreign Minister, Mr Kamal Kharazi, said: "These attacks demonstrate that, day to day, the situation deteriorates for the Palestinian people."
King Abdullah of Jordan set the tone by convening an emergency session of an Arab League ministerial follow-up committee on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The king, who holds the current chair of the Arab League, wants the ministers to discuss the "deteriorating Palestinian situation" when they meet next Sunday in Cairo.
Despite US support for Israel, the Arab world still sees a key role for Washington in maintaining stability in the Middle East. In contacts with world leaders, "the Jordanian monarch stressed the need to co-operate with US and European peace efforts", Jordan's Foreign Minister, Mr Abdel Ilah Khatib, said.
A main concern among Arab countries is that Mr Sharon has decided to eliminate Mr Arafat, at least from the political scene.
In Cairo, the Arab League secretary general, Mr Amr Mussa, said "any attack on the Palestinian Authority will have a reaction of the same magnitude. The Palestinians could not be blamed for acts of resistance against occupation in case of an attack on Mr Arafat."
A journalist close to President Mubarak of Egypt warned that the Israeli raids "are no longer a warning to Arafat but the execution of a plan set up by Sharon to rid himself of Arafat and operate a total change on the Middle East political scene".