ISRAEL Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came under wall-to-wall criticism yesterday for the bungled 10-day siege of Yasser Arafat's compound, which was aborted under intense U.S. pressure.

　　Several Cabinet ministers said Israel underestimated Washington's opposition to the operation and its determination to keep the focus on Iraq ahead of a possible U.S. strike against Saddam Hussein.

　　"We didn't consider (last week) how much the U.S. has already started counting down to the strike against Iraq," said Housing Minister Natan Sharansky. "The decision was made in haste, and this is the result."

　　Tourism Minister Yitzhak Levy also said the decision to besiege Arafat was based on an "erroneous assessments."

　　The cabinet approved the siege last week, in response to a suicide bombing on a Tel Aviv bus in which six people were killed. At the time, it was portrayed as a compromise between Sharon, who was pushing for Arafat's expulsion, and security chiefs who said ousting the Palestinian leader was counterproductive.

　　Immediately after Sharon informed his Cabinet Sunday that troops must withdraw, Sharon left on a three-day visit to Russia.

　　"Sharon is leaving behind a colossal failure, the most notable failure since the beginning of his term in office," commentator Hemi Shalev wrote in Maariv.

　　Sharon also miscalculated the Palestinian response, with his expectation that the siege would make Arafat seek exile or give up the wanted men, critics said.

　　Arafat emerged strengthened from the blockade, which froze efforts by his Fatah movement to force him to share power and appoint a prime minister.

　　A poll released Sunday found that 60.6 percent said they expect Arafat to be re-elected as leader of the Palestinian Authority if the Jan. 20 elections are held "under current conditions," while there was only 47.5 percent giving the same answer in June.

　　(SD-Agencies)