Interview with Israel's ARIEL SHARON: Never! Never! Never!

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Q. We read, see and hear a lot about the Palestinian uprising here. If you were Defense Minister . . .

A. I'm not.

Q. . . . or Prime Minister, how would you handle the Palestinian uprising?

A. I have experience in that. I faced a similar situation in Gaza as military commander there in 1971. It took me two months to decide what to do, to learn every street, every house, every citrus grove like I know the palm of my hand. I moved to Gaza and worked night and day for seven months to make it completely quiet. It stayed that way for 15 years. How did I do it? By making a very clear distinction between the terrorists acting against us or supporters of terror and the other people who did not participate, even if they hated us. The terrorists were eliminated! All their supporters were put in prison.

Q. Or killed.

A. I said eliminated. That's the word I use for all the leaders active in the units of terror.

Q. And you punished others by blowing up houses, bulldozing, whatever. How would you apply that experience now?

A. Look, one of Israel's major mistakes is in not making the same clear-cut distinction during the past 16 months. I don't have to emphasize the damage to the image of Israel, the massive involvement even of the Israeli Arabs. We know that the leaders who are creating this environment of terror are living and acting in Jerusalem. It's fewer than 50 people. If I add all the others around them, maybe 150 people. If cars and buses were attacked daily by petrol bombs or stones for 16 months in Washington, could you imagine it would be tolerated? It would not, because in the name of democracy, to preserve democracy, steps would be taken. The terrorist leaders here are not Israeli ) citizens. What would happen in the U.S. to terrorists who are not citizens? In less than 24 hours, they would be rounded up, taken to the airport and expelled. I would round up the terrorists here and expel them. Immediately!

Q. Look, Mr. Minister, dozens of Arabs have been expelled, thousands have been put in detention camps, a lot of people have been killed, Arabs, some Jews. All the measures you suggest have been taken.

A. No, you are wrong! I am suggesting an approach that has not been tried. I am not talking about harsher means. I am saying different means. Of course, there are other things as well. There is a feeling among the Arabs -- encouraging terrorist activity is part of the broad new Arab strategy -- that sooner or later Israel will be forced to withdraw from Samaria, Judea and Gaza. Even some of our own people are saying that is the only political solution.

Q. But you are not advocating withdrawal, the Prime Minister is not saying withdrawal . . .

A. I'll tell you who. Foreign ambassadors, all kinds of consuls general, visitors, press people and so on. Even some of our own political leaders are saying it. I know our Arab people. If you ask me whether they can see real determination on the Jewish side, that all of us are united in our determination to stand fast, the answer is no. They see confusion. That gives them the wrong impression that sooner or later Israel will withdraw. It also encourages them to think that if they put on more pressure, it will happen sooner.

Q. And your answer is never withdraw from the West Bank -- Samaria, Judea -- and Gaza?