RAMALLAH, West Bank ? Israeli forces pulled away from Yasser Arafat’s headquarters compound in the West Bank town of Ramallah on Wednesday, witnesses said, ending a siege that lasted more than two days.

The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

As the Israeli tanks pulled away, Palestinian police and security officers ran into the compound and shouted slogans in support of Arafat.

The pullout came as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was returning from talks in Washington and London, where he said continuing violence prevented the start of peace talks. He blamed Arafat for continuing conflict.

This time Israeli forces did not enter the city-block-sized compound in Ramallah. In an operation last week, responding to a Palestinian suicide bombing that killed 17 Israelis, tanks and bulldozers broke through the outside wall and destroyed three buildings, including Palestinian intelligence headquarters. An Israeli shell pierce Arafat’s sleeping quarters.

During their operation in Ramallah, soldiers arrested about 50 Palestinians, uncovered a bomb laboratory and found two car bombs ready for use, the military said.

Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had said that the operation in Ramallah would be limited to one or two days.

The Palestinian Authority denounced the incursion, charging that soldiers were firing indiscriminately at residents.