Mr. Arafat's followers cast him in a more pivotal role, particularly since the Israeli threats against him.

An American official said the Israeli threat to leave was "a childish ploy" intended for Israeli domestic consumption.

"It is natural that Israeli threats will unite Palestinians more and more," he said.

He advocated withdrawing most of Egypt's armor from the east bank to confront the growing Israeli threat on the west bank.

He added that Israeli threats of a ground offensive against Gaza were even more disturbing.

The Israeli threat to Gaza followed several days of maneuvering.

His recommendation to withdraw armored forces to counter the Israeli threat on the west bank created a serious command crisis, and ultimately no withdrawal took place.

The Israeli nuclear threat will however also be different.

The Egyptians, for their part, sought to widen their narrow waist and relieve the forces along the coast of the Israeli threat.

Some might argue this was and is needed to face down real or potential Israeli threats, but the explanation is unsatisfactory.