Hillary Clinton urges Arafat to cease Middle East violence

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton put the onus on Yasser Arafat for the violence between Palestinians and Israel.

''It's incumbent upon Chairman Arafat to do everything in his power to stop the violence and to maintain the cease-fire that was reached yesterday,'' Clinton said Tuesday after opening a campaign headquarters here. ''He must make it clear that violence is not an acceptable political statement.''

On Monday, Republican opponent Rick Lazio criticized the Clinton administration for not speaking out strongly enough against Arafat.

Asked if she thought Arafat and the Palestinians were responsible for the violence, the first lady once again said it was important for Arafat to speak out, but she stopped short of blaming him for all the problems.

Asked whether the Israelis shared responsibilities, she said: ''The violence has been continuing and escalating, and the Israelis have tried to respond and contain it.''

Most of the casualties in the rioting that followed hardline Israeli politician Ariel Sharon's visit to Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem last week have been Palestinians.

When questioned about whether the Israelis have used excessive force, Clinton said, ''It's difficult for any of us to second guess what is going on the ground.''

The first lady said that among Arafat and the Palestinians, ''there has to be a willingness to go out in the community to quell the emotions and anger and rage that seems to be fueling a lot of the young people.''

Asked about Lazio's comments concerning the Clinton administration's handling of the Middle East violence, she said: ''I'll let the president speak for himself.''

The Clinton Senate campaign has been involved in a number of flaps involving Jewish issues, including one last year when the first lady embraced Arafat's wife, Soha, after Mrs. Arafat accused Israel of using poison gas against Palestinians.