RAMALLAH, March 17, 2004, (WAFA)- President Yasser Arafat said today that the (on going) Israeli military escalation against the Palestinian people is a ruthless crime.... After meeting in Ramallah Neil Holihan, the Irish representative to the Palestinian National Authority, whose country currently chairs the EU, Arafat pointed out that the Israeli Government has prepared an aggressive plan against the Palestinian people, infrastructure, the Christian and Islamic holy places and mainly against Gaza.... In anticipation of withdrawal, Israeli government is stepping up its aggression against the Palestinian people in various cities of the Gaza Strip, Arafat told reporters....