Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived home early September 11 after cutting short a trip to India to consider how to respond to two Palestinian suicide bombings, and an official said options included invading Gaza or expelling Yasser Arafat.

Sharon planned to convene senior Cabinet Ministers and security commanders for urgent talks, after a pair of bombers killed 15 Israelis in attacks in Central Israel and Jerusalem just six hours apart on September 9.

The violence underscored the collapse of US-brokered peace efforts and came amid political uncertainty after the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, whose successor was expected to name his Cabinet on September 11.

An official on Sharon's plane, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity, blamed Arafat for the bombings.

"Arafat is responsible because of his strategy to try to have a political process alongside terror," the official said.

Hardliners in Sharon's Cabinet have long clamoured for expulsion of Arafat. Up to now Sharon has rebuffed the deportation calls, fearing international condemnation.

The official stopped short of detailing what Israel's response would be, saying the Security Cabinet would have to decide.

The body, made up of senior ministers, was to convene later on September 11 after Sharon meets with military commanders and the Defence Minister, the official said.

Agencies