Israeli troops are prepared for the day after Arafat.

The Israeli army has been prepared for the day after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Chief of General Staff Moshe Ya'alon said on Tuesday.

"We are prepared for the possibility that there will be a funeral in the coming days," Ya'alon was quoted by the Jerusalem Post as saying on its website.

"We are prepared for the day after Arafat militarily. We are prepared for the possibilities of developments, even diplomatic,with the hope that perhaps there may be on the other side a responsible, effective and legitimate leadership that will beprepared to get rid of terror, something that has not happened until now," he said.

"We as an army will be prepared to coordinate and cooperate with this leadership should it arise," he said.

Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that no one on the Palestinian side had yet turned to the Defense Ministry regarding arrangements for Arafat's burial.

Arafat is in critical condition and still struggling for life at a French military hospital.