RAMALLAH, West Bank  -- A partial translation of the statement issued Saturday by Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian leadership:

"President Arafat and the Palestinian leadership condemn all kinds of terrorist activity, coming from the deep principle against using violence and terrorism against civilians as a means to achieve political gains. 

"Starting from this principle, which we have upheld since 1988 when we signed the Oslo agreement at the White House and which we repeated several times, including on the 16th of December, 2001. 

"We did not receive any Israeli response on the declaration of the 16th of December. Instead what we got was Israeli military escalation, suffocating siege and continued occupation for our people, our refugee camps, our cities, our villages and complete destruction of our infrastructure. 

"We strongly condemn violent operations that target Israeli civilians, especially the last operation in Jerusalem. We also strongly condemn the massacre and the killing Israel occupation forces have and are still committing against Palestinian civilians and refugees in the city of Nablus and the Jenin refugee camp and the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and other Palestinian territories over the past two weeks."