JEDDAH, 30 March — The streets of Saudi Arabia were quieter yesterday than would have been expected on a Friday, and the reason was simple: almost everyone was at home watching the latest Israeli assault on the Palestinian people unfold on their television screens. Apart from a combination of sadness and outrage and the failure of the United States to condemn Israel’s barbarism, the question on everybody’s lips was: Will Yasser Arafat be martyred?

In Jeddah, Umm Ahmad, a Palestinian expatriate and the wife of a director of a medical center in Jeddah, said Palestinians around the world were standing behind their leader during this latest crisis, and were praying that wisdom would eventually prevail.

Tareq Al-Aff, a Palestinian mechanic from Gaza who lives in Jeddah, said that he was worried half to death about what was happening to his relatives in the Gaza Strip.

Tariq Al-Humaid, 32, a political analyst for Al-Madinah newspaper, said: “What the Israeli Army is doing right now is dangerous for the whole region. If President Arafat is killed, they are guaranteeing instability and war for decades to come.”

Khaled Al-Saggaf, 23, a graduate student at King Abdul Azziz University, told Arab News: “Sharon is a tyrant. The Israelis don’t want peace. The Saudi peace proposal was a step in the right direction, and the Israeli government didn’t want to have anything to do with it. I fear that this is only the beginning.”

“It’s outrageous, it’s appalling,” were the words of another local when asked for his comments on the way Israeli tanks smashed into Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s offices in Ramallah in the West Bank. Said Saleh Al-Ghamdi, 53: “This is a clear indication that Israeli atrocities and its occupation will continue. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is out of his mind, and acting as a fascist occupier. It was ridiculous for him to declare Arafat an ‘enemy of the state’.”

Muhammad Hanifa, 45, a Sri Lankan technician, said: “No amount of peace moves can succeed if such blatant aggressions continue from Israel. The occupying forces would not be able to do what they’re doing if they did not have total US support. What’s more shocking is the US stand. Their secretary of state is giving explanations about why this has happened instead of wholeheartedly condemning it and taking Israel to task.”

Pakistani and Indian expats in general condemned the ongoing Israeli atrocities despite the just-ended Arab summit whose resolution could have paved the way for a dialogue on the Palestine issue. “The peace initiative of Crown Prince Abdullah (deputy premier and commander of the National Guard) ought to become the basis of any future dialogue on the burning Palestine issue,” Muhammad Chowdhri, a Pakistani businessman said.

Some expats from the African states like Sudan, Somalia and Egypt felt that Arafat’s life was in real danger. “In the event of Arafat becoming a martyr, you can imagine what will happen in the whole region and to the Palestine issue. Hope better counsels prevail and the US puts an end to Israel’s terrorism,” said an Egyptian doctor who requested anonymity.

Ahmed Salem, 31, a photographer, remarked: “Arafat has been a symbolic figure for the Palestinian people since the early 70s. If anything happened to him, it would be a blow to everyone in the Arab world. Regarding the US, their track record in this region speaks for itself. They hardly care about us.”

“What’s happening in Ramallah is a form of psychological warfare,” declared Imam Mohammed Annas, 53. “I pray that the tension will decrease and that peace can be given a chance. There has been enough bloodshed.”

In Riyadh, Palestinian and Asian expatriates warned that Israel will make a grave mistake if it tried to isolate or eliminate Arafat as a partner in the Middle East peace process.

Reacting to the reports that Israeli tanks had invaded Arafat’s compound and raked his office with machinegun and tank fire, they said that such a brazen show of force would not have been possible without the green light from Washington.

Describing the Israelis as “animals”, Palestinian journalist Adnan Jaber said: “It is clear that these animals do not want peace and are only interested in occupying our land. No Arab country can live in peace with those animals, as they have no respect for any international agreement.”

Adnan added that Israel will be making a huge mistake if it tries to isolate or neutralize Arafat, since “it is hard to find an alternative to him. In the absence of Arafat, they will have to deal with extremists. In fact, they will find it difficult to deal with others, who will come together to form a collective leadership. The intifada will be intensified,” he said, adding that the US, as the main sponsor of the Middle East peace process, and Britain, the root cause of the Palestinian problem, should make determined efforts to resolve the issue once and for all.

Abu Omran, a Jordanian, said he would blame the US for encouraging Israel for all the excesses it was committing against the Palestinians.

“It is not enough that Arab states pass resolutions condemning Israel. What we expect is collective boycott of US goods. Arab countries are not ready to make sacrifices for the Palestinian cause. They are simply giving speeches which, like a tranquilizer, have a calming effect.”

Mustafa Hashim, editorial assistant of Muslim Youth, a monthly magazine brought out by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), asked: “How could Israel, or for that matter US President George W. Bush, expect Arafat to do more when he is a virtual prisoner in his West Bank base of Ramallah? No person worth his salt will speak in such a childish manner. Clearly, there appears to be no end in sight for this tit-for-tat retaliation as long as Ariel Sharon continues to be the prime minister of Israel.”

Hashim said it is strange that while the US could not apprehend Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan, it expects Arafat to rein in the extremists when bombs are falling all around him in Ramallah.

M.A. Mirza, a marketing executive, said that Israel’s attempt to isolate or get rid of Arafat “will lead to an internal power struggle and destabilization of the Palestinian Authority. Whether Israel likes it or not, Arafat is the most visible symbol of the Palestinian struggle for an independent state. He is the only peace partner in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. Israel will be shooting itself in the foot by trying to eliminate Arafat, as it will bring more radical elements to the fore. America has got to do much more than it is doing now and it has to take a pledge from Sharon that Arafat will not be harmed in any way,” he added.

In the Eastern Province, national and social barriers were eliminated as Saudis and expatriates alike blasted Israel.

Residents said that Sharon and his henchmen wanted to sabotage Prince Abdullah’s peace plan. “Sharon wants to kill Arafat and create total chaos so that attention is diverted from Prince Abdullah’s peace plan,” said Yusuf Naqui, general manager of Al-Khalifa Trading and Contracting Company.

Suhaib Kidwai, sales manager of Ace Travel deplored “American apathy over Israel’s naked aggression.” The Bush Administration has proved that it will support Zionist actions and policies at any cost and turn a blind eye to the repression and terrorism unleashed by Israeli forces, Kidwai added.

Muzaffar Rizvi, an executive in a medical supplies company, said: “It looks that Israelis are taking revenge against the Nazis by attacking the Palestinians, and the United States is Israel’s collaborator. It is time for the world community to stand up and take drastic action. Mere words and sanctions will not have any effect. It has to be something on the line of American-led coalition against terrorism.”

“Israel has never been serious to any peace plan. Prince Abdullah’s peace plan created panic among the Israelis since the entire world, including the United States, endorsed it. So Sharon is trying to sabotage the plan by crippling Arafat and creating more confusion,” said Abdullah Rizvi, manager in a water proofing company in Dammam.

— Reports by Javid Hassan, Saeed Haider, K.S. Ramkumar, Muhammad Al-Khereiji & Mohannad Sharawi