Furious Arafat freed by Israel

YASSER ARAFAT walked free early today after Israeli troops lifted their siege of his compound in Ramallah.

The Palestinian leader's release, following 34 days of being trapped, came as British and American officials took custody of six wanted men, a key Israeli demand for ending the stand-off.

There was jubilation inside the badly damaged compound as the last Israeli tanks roared off into the night and men draped in Palestinian flags rushed over the earth barricades to greet their leader.

But the mood quickly turned to anger. Reports reached Ramallah of a gun battle around the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, which is also surrounded by Israeli troops, and a fire at the Catholic monastery there.

Incandescent with anger, Mr Arafat said: "It is not important what happened to me here. What is important is what is happening at the Church of the Nativity. It is a crime."