London: Accusing Osama bin Laden of being an opportunist, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has asked the al-Qaida leader not to hide behind the Palestinian cause and not to exploit the Palestinian issue for his own purpose.

"I believe that the founder of al-Qaida has adopted the Palestinian campaign in a cynical ploy to gain support in the Islamic world," Arafat said in an interview published in 'The Sunday Times' on December 15.

"I'm telling him directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause," Arafat said.

The Palestinian leader is furious that al-Qaida has tried to justify atrocities such as last month's suicide bombing of an Israeli-owned hotel in Mombasa by claiming they are part of a campaign to seize control of Palestinian territories from Israel.

"Why is bin Laden talking about Palestine now?" he asked, adding, "He has never helped us."

Arafat's first such forthright attack on bin Laden came after being incensed by a website set up in the name of a previously unknown group, the Islamic al-Qaida organisation in Palestine. It claimed to be fighting for "the full liberation of the Palestine land".

According to Arafat, the website has given credence to allegations by Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, that al-Qaida is active in the Palestinian territory of Gaza, and is preparing for attacks on Israel.

Arafat denounced these as lies.

He said there was some sympathy for bin Laden among young people in Gaza and the West Bank, but dismissed it as insignificant. "These kids don't really know who bin Laden is," he said.

Osama bin Laden's spokesman declared in a tape-recorded message that "Liberation of our holy places, led by Palestine, is our central issue."

Proclaiming himself the first Arab leader to stand up to al-Qaida, Arafat said, "bin Laden has never – not ever – stressed this issue... He was working in another, completely different area, and against our interests."

PTI