Documents seized by the Israeli Army during a raid at the Ramallah compound of Yasir Arafat shed light on the direct role the Palestinian leader has taken in the financing and implementation of terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.

The documents, found in boxes seized on March 29, 2002, show the Palestinian leader had firsthand knowledge of requests from leaders of terrorist cells and personally authorized the allocation of funds to Tanzim and Fatah operatives for weapons and explosives.

Israeli intelligence officials said the documents, which were signed in Arafat's own hand, provide the most compelling evidence so far to indicate that he has had a direct role in orchestrating the 18-month campaign of Palestinian terror attacks against civilians. Arafat has previously denied any involvement or knowledge of Palestinian suicide attacks and frequently insists that terrorist groups operate beyond his control.

One document, addressed to "the fighting president, Brother Abu-Amar" and signed by Hussein al Sheik, the Senior Fatah activist in the West Bank, requested $2,500 for three Palestinian militia leaders, including a Fatah commander, Ziad Muhammed Daas. Abu Amar is Arafat's nom de guerre. Daas was identified as the mastermind of a suicide shooting attack during a Bat Mitzvah ceremony in Hadera on January 17, which killed six people and injured 35. The letter also requested funds for Ra'ad el Karmi, the former commander of the Tanzim in Tulkarem.

On the side of the document is a handwritten note in Arafat's writing, dated September 19, 2001, authorizing payments of $600 to each of the three men.

A second document was a fax sent to Marwan Barghouti, the head of Fatah, requesting "Urgent Financial Aid" for 12 individuals, all identified by the Israeli government as active terrorists who had been involved in deadly attacks against civilians. Barghouti forwarded the document to Arafat with a request for $1,000 "for each of the fighter brethren."

Arafat signed and dated the document on January 7, 2002 and allocated $350 to each fighter.

Weapons Seized at Arafat's Compound in Ramallah

Large stores of weapons and arms were discovered during the March 29, 2002 sweep of the Mukata’ah compound, which houses the living quarters of Yasir Arafat, and other locations in Ramallah. A significant number of the weapons and arms were being held by the Palestinian Authority in direct violation of all agreements with Israel.

The following list of confiscated weapons was made public by the Israel Defense Forces.

• 13 Mini MK 47 Kalachnikov Automatic Rifles
• Some 200 MK 47 Kalachnikov Automatic Rifles
• 19 Sniper Rifles
• One M-16
• 40 Pistols
• 43 RPG Missiles
• 2 Mortar Shells
• 1 Norwegian Sniper Weapon
• 1 Barreta Sniper Weapon
• 24 Telescopes
• 19 Sniper Telescopes
• 2 Night Vision Apparatus
• Crates of Munition
s
• Crates of 5.56 Munitions
• 3 Crates of MK 47 Kalatchnikov Munitions
• 2 Crates of Heavy Machine Gun Munitions (MAG)
• 1 Crate of Hunting Rifle Munitions
• 20 Munitions Clips
• Hand Grenades
• Commando Knives
• Empty Suicide Bomber Belts
• PK Heavy Machine Gun
• 4 Pipe Bombs
• Munitions Belts