Begin compares Arafat to Hitler

JERUSALEM -- In a letter to President Reagan, Prime Minister Menachem Begin compared Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler and besieged Beirut to Berlin.

Responding to Reagan's greetings for Begin's 69th birthday, Begin said it was an 'immeasurable honor' to be a friend of the president of the United States.

'Now, may I tell you dear Mr. President how I feel these days,' Begin said. 'I feel as a prime minister empowered to instruct a valiant army facing 'Berlin' where, amongst innocent civilians, Hitler and his henchmen hide in a bunker deep beneath the surface.'