Israel must expel Yasser Arafat or even kill him, Israel’s defence minister said today in advance of a crucial cabinet meeting that will decide the Palestinian leader’s immediate future.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who cut short a visit to India, was convening his security Cabinet to decide on an Israeli response to the latest Hamas suicide bombings – two attacks that killed 15 Israelis on Tuesday.

Strategic decisions are on the agenda, including the expulsion of Arafat and an invasion of the Gaza Strip, where Hamas leaders are based.

Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said expelling Arafat was the least Israel should do, and that killing the Palestinian leader should be considered.

He said will ask the security Cabinet to “expel Yasser Arafat immediately, without delay.”

Mofaz said kicking out Arafat is the only way to get out of the current cycle of violence.

In a first response to the suicide bombings, Israel stepped up its campaign against Hamas, dropping a half-ton bomb on the home of a senior Hamas official, Mahmoud Zahar, on Wednesday.

Zahar survived, but his eldest son and a bodyguard were killed.

Hamas’ military wing threatened to widen its bombing campaign and target Israeli homes and high-rise buildings. Israeli security forces were on high alert today, particularly in Jerusalem, and police checkpoints caused massive traffic jams.

The Israeli military has begun making preparations for Arafat’s possible expulsion from his West Bank headquarters in the near future and is waiting for a Cabinet decision, said a security official.

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said a majority in the 11 member security Cabinet favours expulsion, but that Sharon might not put the issue to a vote because the United States is not expected to approve such a far-reaching decision.

Sharon has vetoed the idea in the past because of Washington’s disapproval.

“We are in a situation in which US approval for this, in case we asked for it, would be almost impossible to obtain,” Shalom said.

“I think there are some situations in which we have to make decisions ... that are completely cut off from outside influence.”

In the West Bank, the designated Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, put together an eight-member emergency Cabinet. Qureia, widely known as Abu Ala, was to have presented the team to parliament for approval on Thursday, but the session was called off because several MPs said they were denied Israeli travel permits.

Israeli forces blew up two houses in the West Bank town of Ramallah early today. Both blasts could be heard in Arafat’s compound, where tension was high but no unusual activity was seen.

In one of the most strident comments yet from the mainstream Israeli press, the Jerusalem Post called for killing Arafat.

“We must kill as many of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders as possible, as quickly possible, while minimising collateral damage, but not letting that damage stop us,” the English-language newspaper wrote in an editorial.

”And we must kill Yasser Arafat, because the world leaves us no alternative.”

Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, head of the moderate opposition Labour Party, warned that expelling Arafat would be a “historic mistake” that would “deepen the hostilities between the Palestinians and ourselves.

“Arafat outside (his Ramallah office) will be more effective and more negative than he is today.”

Overnight, Israeli troops took over two buildings – the Palestinian Culture Ministry and an uninhabited structure – near Arafat’s headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah as apparent lookouts, witnesses said.

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