[See photo caption below]
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat claimed Thursday that senior Israeli officials were preparing a ``new war'' to paralyze his Palestinian Authority.

``I have received a letter saying the (Ariel) Sharon government has adopted the principle of a new war against the Palestinian people,'' he said in a speech to the upper house of the Belgian Parliament.

``The goal of the Israeli army in calling a truce is in fact to mobilize the Israeli mass to prepare an atrocious war ... in which they will use all military means to paralyze the Palestinian Authority,'' Arafat added.

Arafat was responding to comments from Israeli Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman, a hard-liner in the cabinet of Prime Minister Arial Sharon's government, who said Israel should immediately reoccupy Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

``In the next 48 hours we need to go into all Palestinian areas and destroy the entire infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority, destroy the weapons cache of their forces including those of the militias,'' Lieberman told Israeli radio.

Arafat addressed the Belgian Senate on the latest stop on a European tour that had earlier taken him to Russia and Denmark. He spoke in Arabic and his comments were relayed by a French translator.
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PHOTO CAPTION

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat speaks to the media after his arrival in Moscow's Vnukovo airport, early Tuesday, May 29, 2001. Arafat arrived in Moscow early Tuesday for talks with Russian officials on ways to seek a solution to months of violence between Israel and Palestinians. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
- May 28 7:06 PM ET
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