Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that the recent events could be a historic turning point for the Middle East, without mentioning the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Sharon urged new Palestinian leaders to "wage war on terror", adding until an undisputed successor to Arafat appears, he will not alter his disengagement plan.
Arafat, 75, died at 3:30 a.m. (0230 GMT) Thursday at the Percy military hospital in the southwestern suburb of Paris, where he had been treated for a blood disorder during the past two weeks.
Palestinians have been accusing Sharon of killing Arafat.
Khaled al-Batesh, an Islamic Jihad (Holy War) leader, said on Thursday that Sharon had a hand in Arafat's death.
"The siege imposed on him (Arafat) is one of the reasons for the deterioration of his health," Batesh added.