Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said on Wednesday he would be willing to die a "martyr" and would use his machinegun to defend himself if Israeli troops try to exile or assassinate him.

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat addresses a meeting in his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah Sept. 17, 2003. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said he would be willing to die a 'martyr' and would use his machinegun to defend himself if Israeli troops try to exile or assassinate him.  [Reuters]

"I am a Palestinian soldier...I will use my gun to defend not only myself but also defend every Palestinian child, woman and man and to defend the Palestinian existence," Arafat told Reuters in an interview, as he pointed to an automatic rifle lying on the floor next to his chair in his office.

"Is there anyone in Palestine who does not dream of martyrdom?" Arafat asked. "Is there any Palestinian who could not be martyred by daily Israeli shelling or missiles?"

Martyrdom in Islam refers to when a person gets killed by accident or for the sake of a noble cause such as defending his land or religion.

Israel touched off an international outcry last week by announcing a decision to "remove" Arafat following two suicide bombings that killed 15 people.

Israel has not said how or when it will act against the 74-year-old Arafat, who has largely been confined to his partially demolished West Bank headquarters for nearly two years by Israeli troops.

Arafat also shrugged off the United States' veto of a U.N. resolution demanding that Israel not harm or expel him, saying it was "not the first veto against the Palestinians and will not be the last."

But other Palestinian officials said they feared that Israel could see the U.S. move as justification for killing Arafat.

Israel's threat to "remove" Arafat, calling him an obstacle to peace, has thrust the Palestinian leader back into the world spotlight and boosted his popularity among his people.

In vetoing the resolution, which demanded Israel "desist from any act of deportation and cease any threat" to Arafat's safety, the U.S. said the text failed to name Palestinian groups who have claimed responsibility for suicide attacks.

"Our policy on Arafat has not changed. We think he is part of the problem, not the solution but we do not support his expulsion or his elimination," a U.S. embassy official said.

Meanwhile, averting a clash with the U.S. over a West Bank barrier, Israel canceled a cabinet meeting due to approve construction of a new section of fence deep in occupied land.

Officials said the meeting was canceled for "technical reasons." The cancellation took place as the United States said it was examining the possibility of deducting expenditure on the barrier from a $9 billion U.S. loan guarantee package.

Israel says the barrier is to keep suicide bombers out of its cities, but Palestinians say it expropriates West Bank land, causing hardship to the local population.

ISRAEL PRAISES U.S. VETO

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat voiced concern the U.S. veto of the Syrian-backed resolution could be seen by Israeli leaders as a "license to kill Arafat."

The United States, Israel's chief ally, has tried to sideline Arafat. It backs Israeli accusations that Arafat has fomented attacks in the uprising, allegations he denies.

Israel praised the U.S. veto and accused some members of the Security Council of ignoring violence against Israelis.

"Israel found itself in an Orwellian situation by which its war on terrorism was to be judged in a Security Council resolution sponsored by Syria, one of the main state supporters of terrorism in the world," said Dore Gold, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Eleven Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution, while Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained.

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