Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon confirmed in an interview published today that the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Lebanese guerrilla chief Hassan Nasrallah are not immune from assassination and could be targeted.

"I wouldn't suggest that either of them feel immune ... Anyone who kills a Jew or harms an Israeli citizen, or sends people to kill Jews, is a marked man. Period," Sharon stressed.

This comes after a contradictory statement by the Israeli security chief Tzahi Hanegbi on March 26th, which confirmed that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is not a military target.

The following developments came after several threats by the Israeli PM and his cabinet members to “remove” or exploit Arafat, claiming that the Palestinian President is the one responsible for the September 2000 uprising. Arafat has been confined in his headquarters in the Palestinian city of Ramallah for more than two years now.

Vice premier Ehud Olmert, confirming Sharon’s threat, stated, "those involved in killing Jews will have to defend themselves, run away, hide and invest all their energy in defending themselves, that is what the prime minister said.”

Sharon also told the Israeli newspaper Maariv that the Palestinian President is the only obstacle in the way of any peace process.

Additionally, the Israeli PM told the same newspaper that he is hoping that by the spring 2005, Israel will be in the midst of “disengagement”, adding that Israel would evacuate four West Bank settlements during the same time.

Sharon said that the final decision regarding the withdrawal from Gaza will be left to his divided Likud party members.

These threats came after Sharon’s statement on Thursday which confirmed that once the Separation Wall is completed, the Israeli government will expel all Palestinians living “illegally” with in the Israeli-Arab communities.

"Now it is a very difficult problem because of the absence of a fence. The minute the fence is closed, the activity to remove them will be much more vigorous, and their ability to return will be greatly reduced," Sharon said.

These developments come after an overnight Israeli raid to Gaza that killed a Palestinian civilian.