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Israeli referendum would violate deal, Arafat says

GAZA: Palestinian President Yasser Arafat

on Tuesday slammed a proposal by Prime Minister Shimon Peres to

hold a referendum in Israel on a future peace deal with the

PLO.

"This is completely against what has been agreed upon,"

Arafat told reporters in Gaza when asked his view of the

proposal and a vow by Peres not to remove Jewish settlements.

Arafat did not elaborate.

Peres, in the thick of a hard-fought election campaign, made

the surprise announcement on Monday, saying he would ask for a

referendum before signing a final Israeli accord on the fate of

Jerusalem and Jewish settlers.-Reuter