Concern over Middle East Violence

"Concern" and "alarm" are the words most widely echoed in statements from political leaders regarding the situation in the Middle East on Friday. Politicians from around the globe - the European Union, China, Russia, the United States - said they were extremely concerned about the escalating violence.

Following yet another suicide bomb attack in which 20 Israelis died, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared Arafat an "enemy" on Friday. Israeli troops then smashed their way into Arafat's headquarters. Tanks opened fire and the Palestinian leader had to take refuge in an underground bunker.

EU: "Arafat remains the legitimate authority"

The European Union reaffirmed that Arafat remained a legitimate authority. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana telephoned both Yasser Arafat and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to press for a cease-fire. He urged both sides to seize the opportunity offered by the Saudi peace proposal which the Arab summit endorsed on Thursday.

In an interview with Reuters, Solana's spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said the EU considered that Israel had a legitimate right to fight terrorism, but "military means are not going to solve the problem of terrorism".

French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine criticized Israel's "attempt to stifle Arafat". Speaking on Radio France Internationale, Vedrine said he understood "how the Israelis might feel faced with this terrifying pressure of attacks...but I don't think that massive repression and the attempt to stifle Arafat...can lead to a solution."

Russia and China criticize Israel

Russia openly criticized Israel's measures to isolate Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Interfax news agency quotes a Russian Foreign Ministry official as saying Moscow was "extremely concerned about the alarming dynamics of developments in the region."

China expressed "serious concern" and called for urgent action. The Foreign Ministry in Beijing published a statement saying "We strongly call on both the Israelis and Palestinians to exercise restraint to the greatest extent possible, immediately cease all violent activities and avoid heading towards total conflict."

Muted response from Washington

The United States didn't immediately comment on the situation in the West Bank. A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department said the Bush administration was "assessing appropriate responses to events in the region".