Welcome! Our goal at Winds of Change.NET is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Monday’s Winds of War briefings are given by Security Watchtower.

Top Topics

• Syrian leader Bashar Assad met with representatives from 10 Palestinian militant organizations, and urged them to continue their struggle towards statehood. The meeting came as international pressure on Syria continues to build.

• The Palestinian leadership is blaming Hamas for the assassination of Moussa Arafat, with one official saying “we have confirmed information that Hamas participated in the assassination operation.”

• Bangladesh police seized explosives, jihad material, and over 200 homemade bombs from a house they raided in Dhaka. Since the August 17th bombings, authorities have been cracking down on the banned Islamic group, Jumatul Mujahedin.

• After a 38 year presence, Israeli forces have withdrawn from the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinian security forces began moving in as Palestinians celebrated into the night.

Other topics today include: Hezbollah still refuses to disarm; Iran’s involvement in Iraq; al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia; Kudistan trail; Congressional hearings on Iran; Jordanian militants sentenced; 9/11 heroes honored; BRAC report; Islamic law in Ontario; Padilla detention; Liberia elections; Egypt elections; Georgian revolution; militants killed in Pakistan; U.S.-Britain labelled terrorists; Fast food bombings in Karachi; Conflict in Taiwan straights; Anti-terror measures in Australia; ties between London bombers & al Qaeda; Italy allows phone taps; suicide operations and more.

Read the Rest…

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is going…

JERUSALEM POST: Bullets found in videotape at Hawara checkpoint

At the Hawara checkpoint outside of Nablus, soldiers thwarted an attempt by Palestinians to smuggle 20 bullets hidden in a videotape from Nalbus Friday morning.

JERUSALEM POST: PA Chairman Abbas: Happy Pessah to all Israelis

“I hope that the holiday [Pessah] will pass in peace and freedom for all people,” Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said in a telephone call to President Moshe Katsav Friday.

Abbas called to give a holiday blessing to the president and all Israelis, Army Radio reported.

Katsav responded that this is a time of good relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and that the situation should be taken advantage of.

But, Mahmoud, how do your people really feel about Pesach?

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinian teen caught smuggling pipe bombs

A 17-year-old Palestinian was caught attempting to smuggle four pipe bombs at the Beit Furit checkpoint outside of Nablus Friday afternoon.

A military policewoman manning the position stopped the teen for inspection and asked to check the bag he was carrying. At first he refused, but the policewoman later checked inside and discovered the pipe bombs.

He was detained for questioning, and the bombs were blown up by sappers.

Nine-fingered putz.

Okay, just the ladies this time… let’s see how the so-called cease-fire is doing…

JERUSALEM POST: Israeli wounded by roadside bomb near Gaza

An Israeli was wounded on Thursday afternoon when a bomb blew up underneath a vehicle north of the Karni Crossing in northern Gaza.

A helicopter has been summoned to airlift the wounded man to Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is doing…

JERUSALEM POST: Two Palestinians arrested for planning to kill policemen

Two Palestinians are under arrest for allegedly planning to murder a group of Israeli policemen on the outskirts of Jerusalem and then mutilate them, police said Thursday.

The two men were part of a group of 14 suspects, including thirteen Arabs and one Jew, apprehended over the last several days during an undercover sting operation for selling an assortment of weapons and drugs to an undercover police officer.

A court-imposed gag order, which was in place on the case, was lifted Thursday afternoon.

According to police, the two prime suspects, brothers Walid and Nidal Shubaki, 30, of the West Bank village of A-Ram, approached the undercover police officer who was in the midst of his own investigation into allegations of illegal weapons sales, asking him for assistance in carrying out an attack on Israeli policemen during a patrol in the West Bank.

The suspects allegedly planned to open fire on the police jeep, in which three officers were to be traveling at the time, when the windows of the bulletproof vehicle were open and then chop off their feet and steal their weapons, police said. The two Arab men had intended to carry out the well-planned attack on the outskirts of Jerusalem in the coming days, police said.

Let’s see how that disarming first step of the so-called Roadmap is going…

JERUSALEM POST: IDF uncovers explosives hidden in oven in Nablus

The IDF uncovered three kilograms of explosive materials on Monday night that were hidden inside an oven in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, Army Radio reported.

In addition, the army discovered a medium sized explosive device ready for use.

The intelligence that led to the discoveries came from interrogating a Fatah operative who was arrested a few days ago.

Mmmmmm… nothing like a fresh Palestinian Pie baking in the oven. The taste just explodes in your mouth.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is holding up…

JERUSALEM POST: Two Israelis wounded, one seriously, in Gaza attack

Two Israelis were wounded Monday by a Palestinian sniper who fired at a group of construction workers near the IDF’s Hardon post on the Philadelphi route in the southern Gaza Strip.

One of the wounded was listed to be in serious condition, while the second was reported to have sufferred light to moderate wounds.

They were being evacuated by helicopter to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is working out, shall we?

JERUSALEM POST: Soldier wounded by sniper fire in Gaza

A soldier was lightly wounded by Palestinian sniper fire directed at an IDF post near Gadid in Gush Katif on Sunday morning. Earlier, shots were fired at an IDF post near Rafah.

Shots were fired at soldiers deployed near Kadim in northern Samaria while in an early morning raid, security forces arrested Muhammad Abu Leila in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, a member of Fatah, who planned to carry out attacks.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire and the incarceration of an Israeli Tourism minister’s murderers are doing so far…

HAARETZ: 3 East Jerusalem men held in plot to kill Shas’ Yosef

The Shin Bet security service has arrested three residents of East Jerusalem in connection with a suspected plot to assassinate Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, according to information released Sunday.

One of the three has already been charged and the other two are still undergoing questioning by Shin Bet agents.

The three - French citizen Salah Hamuri, Mutsan Mohammed Yavsha and Moussa Mohammed Darweesh - are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The cell belongs to the same East Jerusalem faction of the PFLP as those behind the murder of cabinet minister Rehavam Ze’evi in a Jerusalem hotel in October 2001.

Ze’evi’s killers, jailed in Jericho, had apparently given their blessing to the attack on the rabbi.

Willie Horton never had it so good.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is coming along…

HAARETZ: Hamas threatens to end truce over PA election delay

The Hamas movement said Saturday that any delay in Palestinian Legislative Council elections could affect the current truce the regional calm.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said if the balloting will not be held on time, the group would have to rethink its commitment to an informal cease-fire with Israel. Hamas agreed to the de facto truce on the understanding Abbas would pursue reforms in the PA.

The group plans to field candidates for the first time during the July 17 elections, and said the possible delay in vote was caused by fears among Fatah leaders that Hamas would gain political much power at Fatah’s expense.

Let’s see how the so-called cease-fire is doing…

From the front page of Haaretz:

A Palestinian boy jumping through a ring of fire during an Islamic Jihad rally in Gaza, Friday. (AP)

Words fail me.

So, how is that so-called cease-fire doing?

JERUSALEM POST: Bomb explodes by Kisufim crossing, no one wounded

An explosive device was detonated Friday afternoon near the Kisufim crossing in the Gaza Strip as IDF soldiers were passing through the area on routine patrol.

No one was wounded in the attack and no damage was caused, Israel Radio reported.

Also Friday, soldiers in the northern Gaza Strip discovered an explosive device weighing 40 kg.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is doing…

HAARETZ: IDF captures Fatah man who infiltrated from Syria

A Fatah militant who infiltrated into the Golan Heights from Syria was captured Friday morning after a shootout with Israel Defense Forces troops, security sources said.

In a rare flare-up in the normally quiet Golan, a gunman penetrated the border fence and opened fired on the IDF’s Tel Hezka outpost, northeast of Katzrin.

IDF sources identified the attacker as a 21-year-old militant from Fatah, and said the man, who was wearing shirt emblazed with the Palestinian flag, told investigators he had planned to abduct an IDF soldier and take him back to Syria.

The gunman, who came from a Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, penetrated the border fence and fired nine rounds into an IDF post in an attempt to explode a petrol container, officials said. IDF soldiers fired at him twice before taking him into custody for questioning, the sources said.

Fateh, as in Mahmoud Abbas’ Fateh.

Syria, as in Occupying Lebanon, Hosting Palestinian Terror Groups Syria.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

According to the IDF spokesman, “The responsibility for the incident lies with Syria and it must act to prevent similar incidents in the future.”

No French military officers serving as UN “observers” were harmed in this incident.

Yet.

Let’s see how that so-called cease-fire is progressing…

JERUSALEM POST: IDF confiscates 5000 bullets slated for Gaza

Soldiers of the Duhifat Batallion searching a Palestinian vehicle at a checkpoint at Ein Sinaya north of Ramallah on Thursday afternoon, discovered bags containing 5000 six milimeter bullets.

According to security officials, the bullets were purchased in Jericho and were slated for the Gaza Strip. The car driver succeeded in fleeing the area.

Also, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, a terrorist group wholly controlled by the terrorist-sponsoring Fateh party, is distributing leaflets saying that the truce is voer.

Like it ever started.

Let’s see how the disarming of terrorists as the first step of the Roadmap is going…

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas fugitive arrested

A Hamas fugitive who was arrested by security forces in Nablus Thursday morning handed over his personal weapon to the soldiers, which was primed and ready to fire, and hidden in his sister’s underpants.

The army said that soldiers searching the fugitive’s home also uncovered bullets and a handgun, in the raid.

Elsewhere in the city, soldiers arrested a Tanzim fugitive.

Let’s see how the so-called cease-fire is doing…

REUTERS: Palestinian Gunmen Sign Peace Pledge for Jobs

More than 200 Palestinian militants have pledged not to carry out acts of violence in exchange for jobs, in a first step toward disarming gunmen wanted by Israel, a Palestinian official said on Tuesday.

The Palestinian Authority is seeking signed commitments from a thousand militants to allow them to join security forces or get civilian government jobs, but the program stops short of taking away their weapons immediately as Israel has demanded.

…

The effort to secure signed pledges has been aimed mainly at Fatah militants in the West Bank. Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Islamic factions sworn to Israel’s destruction, have refused to lay down arms although they have committed to a de facto truce.

But Zakaria al-Zubaidi, a West Bank leader of Fatah’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, said he, too, would never disarm. “Abandoning a gun is like abandoning one’s honor,” he said.

What honor?

So let’s see how the so-called ceasefire is going…

JERUSALEM POST: Another boy-bomber caught at Hawara *

A 15-year-old Palestinian was caught at the Hawara checkpoint south of Nablus on Tuesday afternoon carrying five pipe bombs.

The teenager reached the checkpoint and unsuccessfully attempted to detonate one of the bombs. Soldiers aroused by his suspicious behavior aimed their weapons at him prompting him to drop the four other bombs that he had in his possession.

He was handed over to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) for questioning. IDF sappers are preparing to perform a controlled detonation of the charges.

Tuesday’s attempt to utilize a teenager to smuggle bombs past checkpoints is the fourth in the past year.

Five pipe bombs, eh?

Must have been for playing soccer.

So, how is that so-called ceasefire working out?

HAARETZ: Fatah man arrested for planning terror act at Hezbollah’s behest

Israel Defense Forces soldiers entered Nablus on Sunday and arrested a Fatah member suspected of planning a terror attack on behalf of Hezbollah.

The suspect, Firas Tanbor, had holed up in a building in the Jibal Simali neighborhood of the city. Paratroopers surrounded the building and threw stun grenades into it. The suspect then turned himself in.

Clashes broke out between soldiers and Palestinians in the area, according to Palestinian sources. Soldiers fired rubber bullets and tear gas, wounding ten Palestinians.

Let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is doing…

HAARETZ: Sharon condemns Palestinian mortar shelling on Gaza

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Sunday condemned mortar shelling by Palestinian militants against Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, calling the barrage ‘a flagrant violation of the (Sharm el-Sheikh) understandings.

Speaking to reporters on his plane en route to the U.S., Sharon said that he will raise the issue during Monday’s meeting with President George W. Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

IDF sources said roughly 70 shells have been fired in all. According to Israel Radio, the IDF did not respond.

The shelling damaged several houses in the Gaza Strip settlements. Children were advised to evacuate yards and kindergartens.

They scream when the Israelis talk about demolishing the houses in Gaza settlements, but they still blast at them with mortar fire.

What do they WANT?

Oh. Wait. I know the answer to that. To kill Jews.

How silly of me.

HAARETZ: Police detain Hamas leader who entered Mount

Israeli police Sunday detained a senior Hamas leader after he entered the Temple Mount of the Old City of Jerusalem, violating a ban on worshippers from the West Bank.

Some 3,000 police were deployed the Old City of Jerusalem early on Sunday in a bid to head off expected protests by extreme rightists on the Temple Mount, and by young Palestinians angered by the killings over the weekend of three Palestinian youths in Gaza.

Witnesses said the Hamas leader, Hassan Yousef, was driving back to the West Bank from Jerusalem when he was stopped at an Israeli checkpoint and taken from his vehicle by police.

Palestinian propaganda has been shattered by reports that the “soccer-playing youths” were engaged in an entirely different activity…

The Arab press reported that the soldiers fired on innocent children who were playing soccer. Mofaz asked the PA to control the terrorists. The PA did not publicize that the youths were trying to smuggle weapons despite Israeli reports that the PA later caught two of them. PA chairman Abu Mazen insisted that the youth “were unarmed and did not endanger Israel.”

No corrections over AP and Reuters yet.

Let’s check on how that so-called cease-fire is going…

HAARETZ: IDF kills 3 Gaza youths; Jihad wing rescinds truce

“The Jerusalem Brigades is free of any commitment to calm after the Israeli shedding of Palestinian youths’ blood,” said Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Abdallah. “This means that now we are no longer committed to truce.”

…

According to Palestinian sources, the youths was playing on the outskirts of the Rafah refugee camp, several hundred meters from the frontier. IDF forces opened fire on them from the south.

“I saw a group of youths playing soccer in a playground about 50 meters from the fence,” said Wael Barhoum, 26. “Suddenly there was gunfire toward the youths from the Israeli side. I ran towards the playground and we saw two of the youths were dead and a third was wounded.”

Three men had approached a buffer zone near Israel’s border with southern Gaza in the Rafah refugee camp. Troops fired at them after they failed to heed warning shots, a military source said. Israel Radio quoted an IDF official who said the youths were crawling toward the fence.

(Note from friend: “I didn’t realize that soccer is played with bolt-cutters and knives.”)

UPDATE:
Another turbaned moonbat reverses the earlier statement.

So how is that so-called cease-fire holding up?

JERUSALEM POST: Israel to Abbas: Stop those firing Kassams

Israel called upon PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Friday morning to act quickly against those firing Kassam rockets, Army Radio reported.

The call comes after a Kassam was launched at Sderot Thursday night, after three months of quiet.

The rocket landed near a cemetery, and no one was hurt.

The warning system in the city failed when the rocket was fired, Army Radio reported.

Abbas had better choose a hat quickly, because it’s going to be needed for his chair for Christmas celebrations.

HAARETZ: Report: Hezbollah to drop arms if Israel quits Shebaa

Hezbollah would be prepared to discuss conditional disarmament if Israel withdrew from a disputed border area, the Lebanese guerrilla group’s deputy leader said in a British newspaper interview on Friday.

Sheikh Naim Kassem told the Financial Times that disarmament, called for by Washington and the United Nations, could pave the way for Hezbollah’s fighters to become a kind of reservist army working with Lebanese authorities.

But he said talks could not take place while Israel remained in the Shebaa Farms area, a tiny disputed border enclave between Lebanon, Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, conquered from Syrian during the 1967 Six Day War.

So, let’s see how that so-called ceasefire is holding up…

REUTERS: Militants Fire Rocket Into Israel Despite Truce

Palestinian gunmen fired a rocket into Israel on Thursday in the first such incident since January when Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas took power and persuaded militants to cease fire.

There were no reports of casualties from the rocket launched from northern Gaza into Israel’s western Negev desert, according to Israeli military sources and Palestinian witnesses, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The area took frequent rocket fire in a 4 1/2 year Palestinian uprising.

About the first step of the so-called Roadmap…

HAARETZ: Palestinian militants tell PA won’t hand any weapons over

A new low-key attempt by the Palestinian Authority to disarm at least some militants has already run into trouble: gunmen said Wednesday they’ll keep their weapons out of sight, but won’t hand them over.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is under growing pressure from the United States and Israel to rein in militants. He has said he will do so by persuasion, not force, and has bought himself some time by getting militants to agree to a temporary truce with Israel.

“We agreed to hide our weapons, to keep them out of public view, but we are not going to hand them over to the Palestinian Authority,” said Kamal Ghanem, an Al Aqsa fugitive. “They asked them to give us the serial numbers of our guns, but we did not.”

Hamas and Islamic Jihad spokesmen also said Wednesday that the groups would not hand over weapons.

“We stopped using these weapons after the declaration of quiet, despite the daily violations (of the truce) by Israel,” said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman. He said a demand that gunmen hand over their weapons “is not acceptable.”

About that so-called ceasefire…

JERUSALEM POST: IDF soldier wounded south of Jenin

A soldier was lightly wounded by Palestinian gunfire near Kabbatiyah south of Jenin on Wednesday afternoon. Security forces were deployed in the Jenin area after warnings were received that terrorists planned to launch attacks.

Soldiers deployed south of Jenin also came under fire in an additional incident in the area.

About that so-called ceasefire…

JERUSALEM POST: Bomb detonated next to IDF patrol, near Sderot

Reports of a Kassam rocket falling near the southern town of Sderot have been investigated and proven incorrect.

In fact, the sounds heard by residents of Sderot were not the result of a rocket, but a roadside bomb detonated near an IDF patrol close to the security fence. No one was wounded.

About that so-called cease-fire…

HAARETZ: Hezbollah planned attacks on senior Israeli officials

A Palestinian was arrested by the security services in late February on suspicion of aiding Hezbollah in planning terror attacks on senior Israeli officials, the Shin Bet revealed on Wednesday.

Relatives of Nablus resident Wasem Nasser arranged a meeting with Hezbollah operatives during a family visit he made to Lebanon.

Nasser, a 21-year-old student at Al-Najaf University, underwent military training in Lebanon during the course of which he learned how to use various firearms and studied methods of collecting intelligence and operating eavesdropping devices.

His Hezbollah operators ordered him to photograph checkpoints, settlements and Israel Defense Forces bases and send them the images via the internet.

Hezbollah also succeeded to getting Nasser to smuggle back into Israel from Lebanon a GPS satellite navigation system hidden inside a car stereo.

Using the GPS device, Nasser pinpointed for his operatives the locations of checkpoints and bases in the Nablus area.

HAARETZ: IDF: Hezbollah reduces pressure for terror attacks

Over the past few weeks, Hezbollah has eased the pressure it had been placing on Palestinian terror organizations to carry out attacks on Israelis, a senior Israel Defense Forces officer said on Tuesday.

The IDF believes the decline in Palestinian violence will continue through the implementation of the disengagement plan.

The senior officer said the current period of relative calm serves the interests of most of the Palestinian players and added that he does not expect an outburst of violence before the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, which is scheduled to begin in July.

The IDF attributes the change in Hezbollah’s position to the group’s internal politics in Lebanon in light of the call to withdraw Syrian military forces from the country.

Syria has also passed on requests to leaders of the Palestinian groups in Damascus to refrain from carrying out attacks that could create connections between Syria and anti-Israel terrorism.

(Create, or highlight?)

About that so-called “ceasefire” …

HAARETZ: Gunman wounds Israeli near Gaza settlement

A Palestinian gunman wounded an Israeli working near the southern Gaza Strip settlement of Morag on Tuesday afternoon.

The attack came as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prepared to meet representatives of some Gaza Strip settlements, whose members seek to be moved as a group to the Nitzanim area south of Ashkelon.

The man, shot while working on a fence in the hothouse area of the Rafah-area settlement, was rushed to medical care nearby, then evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva where he underwent surgery.

His condition was initially reported as serious, but rescue workers later said his wounds were not life-threatening.

About that so-called “ceasefire” …

HAARETZ: Shin Bet foils bombing attack at Latrun museum

Security forces have captured the members of a Palestinian terror cell who planned to carry out a triple bombing attack at the Latrun junction between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and a shooting attack on soldiers in the Ramallah area.

Security forces arrested the three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine cell some three months ago, the Shin Bet announced Monday evening.

The cell members, from the Ramallah region, admitted that they planned to dispatch two suicide bombers and a booby-trapped car to attack the Armored Corps museum located adjacent to the Latrun junction.

They also planned to ambush an Israel Defense Forces jeep near the West Bank city of Ramallah, kill the soldiers inside and hold the bodies in nearby Bir Zeit as bargaining chips.

About that so-called “ceasefire” …

HAARETZ: Militants fire explosive which hit Palestinian barracks

Palestinian militants fired either a mortar shell or a Qassam rocket before dawn Saturday, which hit a barracks housing Palestinian security officers, Israel Radio reported.

The militants launched the explosive from the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Lahiya, according to Israel Radio.

HAARETZ: Fatah-linked militants admit getting funds from Hezbollah

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades have received money from Hezbollah to fund terror attacks, members of the Palestinian militant group revealed in an interview published Sunday.

In the article, published in the U.K.’s Sunday Times, a Brigades leader in the West Bank city of Nablus, Allah Sanakra, said that while he no longer receives money from Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad continues to do so. Brigades militants from the Nablus area, however, said Hezbollah officials remained in touch with them.

Sankara said he believes the money comes from Iran.

The interviews appear to confirm Israel’s contention that Hezbollah is trying to sabotage the quiet in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by supporting terror organizations there. Israel has declined to release proof of these allegations.

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinians warned not to collaborate with Hizbullah

Leaflets distributed in Ramallah on Wednesday warned Hizbullah against “meddling” in Palestinian affairs and threatened to punish any Palestinian who collaborates with the Lebanese organization.

The leaflets, signed by a hitherto unknown group called The Unit for Combating Foreign Intervention in Palestinian Affairs, accused Hizbullah of channeling funds to some Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The unprecedented warning comes against a backdrop of reports suggesting that Hizbullah was offering thousands of dollars to Fatah gunmen to carry out attacks on Israel. It also reflects growing tensions between Hizbullah and the Palestinian Authority over the decision to suspend terrorist attacks against Israel.

HAARETZ: Abbas orders crackdown on Ramallah militants shooting attack

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered a crackdown on militants in the West Bank town of Ramallah early Thursday after a group of gunmen fired at his headquarters compound while he was inside, security officials said.

The group of 15 militants attacked the compound Wednesday before rampaging through the city, damaging several restaurants and forcing shops to close, witnesses and officials said. There were no injuries reported.

UPDATE:
Abbas kicked 26 terrorists out of the Mukata to whom he had formerly extended the previous resident’s offer of hospitality.

UPDATE 2:
It was just bluster:

Palestinian officials on Thursday backed away from a declaration that they would go after gunmen who shot up Mahmoud Abbas’ office building and rampaged through Ramallah, underlining the difficulties authorities face in restoring order in the chaotic West Bank.

Read the whole thing. Nobody’s on the same page, let alone the same book, shelf, or library.

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinian terrorist nabbed in Philippines

Philippine authorities have arrested a Palestinian man who allegedly trained al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in the past and returned to the Philippines for a possible terror mission, officials said Thursday.

Fawaz Zi Ajjur, whom security officials suspect may be an al-Qaida operative, was arrested Saturday in southern Zamboanga city as he arrived after a baffling, circuitous journey that took him to Russia, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines, the officials said.

Ajjur did not have a visa and was taken into custody by immigration agents at the Zamboanga airport, Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez Jr. said.

He was later allegedly identified by two captured Abu Sayyaf guerrillas as one of the foreign terrorists who trained them in bomb-making near Patikul town on the southern island of Jolo island a few years ago, a security official said.

HAARETZ: Mofaz: PA not doing enough in way of reforms, fighting terror

During a visit to the U.S., Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told senior officials President George Bush’s administration Wednesday that the Palestinians are not doing enough in terms of implementing reforms and fighting terror.

In talks with Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Mofaz said their were large differences between PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas’ intentions, and what was happening on the ground. According to the defense minister, Israel does not see any progress by the Palestinians, especially on the issue of dealing with wanted militants.

Mofaz reported to senior administration officials on the preparations for the disengagement plan and stated the need for more progress on the Palestinian front. Mofaz mentioned reports that Palestinians were smuggling Strela anti-aircraft missiles into the Gaza Strip, and said that Israel made it clear to the Palestinians that if those responsible for the smuggling are not caught and the missiles not accounted for, Israel will take matters into its own hands. Mofaz did note, however, that the PA was operating against arms-smuggling tunnels under the Philadelphi route, along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Surprised?

HAARETZ: Security sources fear anti-aircraft missile attacks

Security sources said Tuesday they are concerned that anti-aircraft missiles the defense minister has said were recently smuggled into the Gaza Strip might be moved into the West Bank and used against commercial aircraft flying over central Israel.

The security sources said there was concern the missiles could be used against planes landing at or taking off from Ben Gurion International Airport, where flight paths veer close to the West Bank.

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told the cabinet earlier this week that Israel suspects that members of the Palestinian Authority’s military intelligence service were involved in smuggling shoulder-launched Strela anti-aircraft missiles into the Gaza Strip.

Such missiles, which are capable of striking an airplane more than three kilometers above the ground, were recently smuggled into Gaza from Egypt via tunnels in the Rafah area, despite the PA’s success in uncovering 17 to 20 such tunnels, Mofaz said.

He added that Israel has demanded the PA find and collect all the smuggled missiles, which he defined as “crossing a red line.”

For those who are interested, Weaponsurvey.com offers an overview of “Palestinian weapons production and smuggling.”

According to the BBC, while campaigning in Hammas strongholds, the front-runner to replace Arafat has vowed not to fight militant groups…

Mahmoud Abbas, tipped to become the new Palestinian president, says he will not fight against militant groups.

After receiving a hero’s welcome by militants in the Gaza Strip, Mr Abbas said he would use persuasion to bring about a ceasefire with Israel.

At one point during the visit at Rafah refugee camp he was hoisted on the shoulders of gunmen clad in black.

… Abbas did suggest that we would attempt to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and militants, but insisted that he would not oppose them with force…

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Abbas said he believed that he might be able to persuade the militants to agree a ceasefire, if elected.

“We will not use force with Hamas but we will use the way of persuasion and negotiation,” he said.

“We consider that fighting among Palestinians is a red line that must not be crossed.”

… In addition, he praised the militants and suggested he would defend them against attacks by the Israeli army…

When we see them, when we meet them, and when they welcome us, we owe them,” AP quoted him as saying.

“This debt always is to protect them from assassination, to protect them from killing, and all these things they are subject to by the Israelis.”

JERUSALEM POST: IDF forces kill Fatah Al-Aksa fugitive in Jenin refugee camp

Shouldn’t that be Arafat Martyrs Brigade? Who didn’t get the memo?

In the Jenin refugee camp overnight, Egoz and Nahal troops killed Palestinian fugitive Taher Abu Kamal, deputy to Jenin leader of the Fatah Al-Aksa Martyrs’ Brigades, Zakariyah Zubeidi.

According to Army Radio, IDF forces arrived at the building in which Abu Kamal was residing with the purpose of arresting him, and called on the people in the building to come out.

From inside the house, Abu Kamal opened fire on the troops, igniting an gun-battle which lasted for many hours.

During the battle, anti-tank missiles were fired at the four-story house, which caused great damage to the structure.

After the battle, soldiers scoured the wreckage and discovered Abu Kamal’s body inside the ruins of the house.

HAARETZ: Unoffical results: Hamas strong in local W. Bank elections

Hamas made a strong showing in local Palestinian elections in 26 communities across the West Bank on Thursday, according to preliminary elections results. Official results will be announced Saturday night.

This is the first time the Islamic faction has competed in the polls.

Some 150,000 eligible voters choose among more than 800 candidates in the election. Sixteen percent of the 360 local council seats were reserved for women.

According to the preliminary results, the ruling Fatah movement won a majority in 14 towns, while Hamas took control in nine communities. In two, a joint Hamas-Fatah slate won. The outcome of the vote in one community, Ya’bed, was not immediately available.

However, Hamas officials said they had won a majority in at least 17 local councils, based on reports from their election observers.

The discrepancy could not immediately be explained. However, on the local level, membership in a political faction is not always clear-cut, and some candidates could have been claimed by the rival groups.

HAARETZ: Blair: There must be a ‘total end’ to terrorism

British Prime Minister Tony Blair presented a clear message during his visit to Jerusalem Wednesday: The cessation of Palestinian terrorism is a paramount need for the renewal of the peace process, and the quid pro quo from Israel has to be the provision of a diplomatic horizon.

“There has to be a complete and total end to terrorism” in order for peace talks to succeed, Blair said. The world has changed in the last few years and people everywhere are fighting terrorism, he said. Terror was not a means to peace but an obstacle, he added.

In private talks, Blair was even more blunt, saying the Palestinians would get no assistance or political support from Britain unless terror stops. U.S. President George W. Bush will also not help them, he added.

When there are actions, “not just declarations,” it will be possible to return to the road map, he said.

Accusations from the Arab World of the UK not being an honest broker in 5… 4… 3… 2…

JERUSALEM POST: Would-be suicide bomber arrested

A 22-year-old resident of Abu Tor in Jerusalem, holder of an Israeli identity card, planned to carry out a double suicide bomb attack together with his 16 year old fiancee after being recruited by Hamas in Hebron – the same Hamas infrastructure who was responsible for the double suicide bomb attack in Beersheba in August this year.

Details released for publication by the Shin Bet on Wednesday revealed that Ahmed Yakub Jizawi, 22, who was arrested by the Gideonim undercover police unit on November 15, maintained close ties with Mutsab Hasalmon a senior member of the Hebron infrastructure who studied with Jizawi at the Abu Dis university.

Both were active in the Hamas Students Committee at the university. Shortly before his arrest, Jizawi informed Hasalmon of his intention to carry out a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem on behalf of the Hebron infrastructure.

Where are they registered? Habib’s House Of Coffins?

HAARETZ: Police: Murder of woman near Green Line was act of terror

Police have determined that the murder of an Israeli woman in Moshav Nehousha near the border with the West Bank on Tuesday was a terrorist attack, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.

The body of Ariela Fahima was found at the entrance to her home by her 10-year-old daughter. The 39-year-old mother of four had been stabbed in the neck.

Police sources said Tuesday that they did not know if the attack was carried out by one or multiple attackers.

The commander of the Beit Shemesh police station, Meir Vardi, said Tuesday that a number of Palestinians who worked at the moshav have been arrested.

Police later discovered a hole in the moshav’s security fence, and residents said that the moshav’s alarm system has not been functioning due to a technical problem.

Will Tony Blair nod at her grave?

HAARETZ: Shin Bet arrests Hezbollah agent in territories

The Shin Bet security service said Tuesday that it recently arrested a Hezbollah agent who was sent to establish a terror cell in the West Bank. The agent allegedly planned to bomb train tracks and kidnap soldiers to exchange them for Palestinian prisoners.
The man, Mohammed Abu Rhweid is a Syrian-born Palestinian who later lived in Jordan. He entered the territories in 1998 and worked in the Galilee up until the beginning of the second Palestinian initifada in 2000.

According to the probe, Abu Rhweid underwent training by Palestinian militant group Abu Musa - a Fatah splinter group - in 2002. A year later he volunteered for the Iraqi army.

In Iraq, Abu Rhweid was trained by the Iraqi military and fought against American forces. He was stationed in a battalion that defended a Baghdad neighborhood and suffered a light head injury. After the war he returned to Jordan, where he was contacted by Hezbollah agents.

JERUSALEM POST: Anti-Katyusha laser to be tested

A new radar system for a Katyusha-killing laser cannon has been brought to Israel to be tested against Kassam rockets and mortar shells fired by the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

The joint US-Israeli mobile laser gun, called the Nautilus, is still being developed and tested in the United States, but the radar arrived in the country a few days ago and will be deployed shortly near Sderot to track incoming rockets, military sources said.

They hope the radar will boost early warning of incoming rockets by a few precious seconds and help pinpoint their launch sites so the IDF can retaliate against the Kassam or mortar crews.

“This is just the radar and that is just one component of the Nautilus system. The main component is the laser gun, which fires a beam that destroys Katyushas, rockets, Kassams and mortar shells in the air,” said Prof. Yitzhak Ben-Israel, a former head of military research and development. He said the laser gun is still being tested and developed.

HAARETZ: Hamas vows revenge against Israel

In comments on Monday, the Islamic group’s leader in Gaza, Mahmud al-Zahar, also poured cold water on calls for a ceasefire with Israel.

“Aggression from Israel will be reacted by self-defence … whether within the occupied territories or outside the Green Line,” al-Zahar said.

JERUSALEM POST: Two Kassam rockets fired into Sderot

Two Kassam rockets were fired into the western Negev town of Sderot and a nearby town early Sunday morning.

Two people were being treated for light shrapnel wounds, and six were being treated for shock, Magen David Adom rescue workers said.

The wounded were taken to the Barzelai Hospital in Ashkelon for treatment.

(If Canadians in Windsor were doing this to Americans in Detroit, there’d be a lot of dead Canadians and not much left of Windsor.)

JERUSALEM POST: Steinitz calls for ‘Defensive Shield’ operation in Gaza

Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman MK Yuval Steinitz (Likud) said Sunday that Israel should embark on an “Operation Defensive Shield” in the Gaza Strip to stop the firing of Kassam rockets and mortar shells on Sderot and Gush Katif settlements. Steinitz was referring to the army operation in West Bank cities in April 2002 following the Park Hotel Massacre in Netanya and a rash of Palestinian suicide bombings.

“During ‘Operation Defensive Shield’ we succeeded in harming the terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank. And I have for a long time now have been calling for the same thing to be done in the Gaza Strip,” Steinitz said.

He added that interim Palestinian leader Abu Mazen is not able to wrest control of the Gaza Strip from the terrorist groups. “There is no such thing as a unilateral ceasefire. If there is shooting, then we don’t just defend, we attack. Or there is no shooting. We have to embark on an ‘Operation Defensive Shield number two’ in the Gaza Strip.”

Steinitz made the remarks while on a tour of the northern border with other Committee members.

JERUSALEM POST: US declares Al-Manar terrorist group

The United States State Department designated Al-Manar, the TV station of Lebanon’s militant Hizbullah group which was ordered off French airwaves on Monday, as a terrorist organization, according to a notice published Friday in the US Federal Register.

“Acting under the authority of … the Immigration and Nationality Act … and in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of State has concluded that al-Manar is a ‘terrorist organization’ within the meaning of that section of the INA,” the notice said.

“We consider (al-Manar) to be disgusting programing that preaches hatred and violence and … ideas that are antithetical to the values which we believe in,” Reuters quoted department spokesman Adam Ereli, who spoke at a briefing on Dec. 9.

Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat announced Tuesday that it stopped broadcasting Al-Manar at 4:00 p.m. (Israel time) Tuesday afternoon, in compliance with the order Monday by France’s highest administrative body that the TV station be taken off French airwaves within 48 hours for broadcasting hateful content in some shows and posing risks to public order.

If Eutelsat did not stop broadcasting Al-Manar within two days, they would be fined 5,000 per day.

JERUSALEM POST: Rockets fired into Sderot

Two Kassam rockets fired from Beit Hanun fell in the Sderot area Friday morning.

They landed in an open area and no one was injured, though shrapnel from one damaged a vehicle, Army Radio reported.

Security forces are currently combing the area, searching for the remains of the second rocket.

HAARETZ: 5 Palestinians die in Gaza tunnel collapse

Israeli and Palestinian rescue forces were cooperating Friday in their search for three Palestinians declared missing after a weapons-smuggling tunnel collapsed along the Gaza-Egypt border overnight, killing at least five Palestinians who were trapped inside.

The IDF allowed Palestinian ambulances and rescue workers to get to the scene of the tunnel collapse, which is usually off-limits to Palestinians. Rescue forces extricated the bodies of the dead Palestinians from the tunnel, the radio said.

The tunnel, which is located between an IDF base and the south Gaza area of Rafah, collapsed late Thursday, but neighborhood residents only discovered the gaping hole that remained of the tunnel on Friday.

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas urges Israel’s Beduins not to serve in IDF

In the first appeal of its kind, Hamas on Thursday called on Israeli Beduins to prevent their sons from serving in the IDF.

The call followed last Sunday’s attack on an IDF outpost near Rafah, in which five Beduin soldiers were killed and six others injured.

“We were very shocked to learn that a number of Beduin soldiers are serving in the Zionist occupation army, especially at the border area between the Gaza Strip and Egypt,” Hamas said in a message to the heads of the Beduin community.

“Similarly, we were shocked that these soldiers are carrying out the orders of their commanders to kill innocent children and women and destroy houses.”

In its message, Hamas condemned as “disgraceful” the fact that young Beduin men have enrolled in the IDF, “this defaming the reputation of all Beduins.”

Addressing the chiefs of Beduin clans, Hamas added: “We don’t hold you responsible for al the crimes perpetrated by the Zionist occupation army, but we do say to you that you can prevent your sons from enlisting in this murderous army, which knows nothing but the language of death and destruction. It’s not an honor for you to join an army that is renowned for its racism and crimes.”

In another development, a senior Hamas official said he did not rule out the possibility that his movement would start targeting Israelis abroad.

HAARETZ: Leading Hamas preacher warns of clash with Islamic Jihad

A growing rift between Hamas and Islamic Jihad has led to a break in cooperation between the two groups, and is threatening to lead to an all-out clash between them, according to a leading Hamas preacher who recently slammed Jihad for trying to outmuscle Hamas.

“There was a time when there were more Islamic Jihadists than us, but now we are more than them, but nonetheless they have managed to take over the media and to get ahead of us, and are now intensively competing with us,” said Fathi Hamad, a member of the Sura Council, the supreme Hamas religious body in Gaza responsible for the the organization’s communications system in Gaza.

“An Islamic Jihad takeover would means the Shi’ites take over, and if that happens you will all be turned into heretics …. We must fight and clash with all those who are not Sunni and guarantee our faith remains pure.”

JERUSALEM POST: Head of military wing of People’s Front arrested

Security forces arrested Salah Ali, head of the military wing of the People’s Front Tuesday night in Gaza.

Large numbers of army and police surrounded the house in which Ali was hiding Army Radio reported. When he attempted to escape, they opened fire, wounded him lightly.

Ali was brought to Hadassah-University Hospital, Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.

Ali is suspected of involvement in several shooting incidents and the placing of explosives in the Ramallah area.

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas cancels annual Gaza rally for fear of Israeli reprisal

Fearing an Israeli reprisal attack, Hamas has decided to cancel a major rally marking the 17th anniversary of its founding.

The rally was supposed to be held in one of Gaza City’s stadiums on Friday, but Hamas decided to postpone it indefinitely out of fear that Israel would target the Islamic movement’s leaders in retaliation for Sunday’s attack on an IDF outpost near Rafah, in which five soldiers were killed and six others wounded.

“For security reasons, and because of Israeli threats to target Palestinians, Hamas has decided to call off the annual rally,” said Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri. “We are aware that the decision will come as bad news to Hamas supporters, who have been looking forward to seeing the Hamas leaders for the first time in more than one year.”

Hamas, in a statement on the anniversary of its establishment, reiterated its opposition to a cease-fire with Israel and said the “resistance remains our strategic option.”

[Carl psychically probes the captured alien]
Carl: It’s afraid. It’s afraid!
[Everyone cheers]
- Starship Troopers, 1997

MAARIV: Major suicide bombing terror attack averted

Security forces recently foiled a planned suicide bombing, planned by the joint Hamas-Tanzim terrorist infrastructure in Nablus.

According to senior defense sources, the IDF and ISA, acting on recently received intelligence information, uncovered at the Hawara checkpoint, at the entrance of Nablus, an large shipment of explosives hidden inside a cupboard, which was transported in a furniture truck on its way from Nablus to Jerusalem. The discovery was made two days ago.

The cupboard was hidden under a false bottom in the truck, which indicates a strict planning and a cynical use of innocent drivers transporting goods along the West Bank.

An investigation provided evidence that the explosives were intended for use in a major suicide bombing in Israel.

Hashem Shweike, a resident of Nablus who lives and works in A-ram, was waiting to receive the explosive device, and following that, to meet the suicide bomber.

Hashem Shweike was arrested on December 12 at the A-Ram checkpoint. His investigation shows that a wanted Tanzim operative from Nablus, Jamil Fukaha, was the director of the suicide bombing attack. Fukaha was, until recently, the assistant of Majdi Merai, a wanted terrorist who was killed in an encounter with IDF soldiers in November 2004.

JERUSALEM POST: Straw condemns Hamas election boycott

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw criticized the Palestinian militant group Hamas Tuesday for its plans to boycott elections to choose Yasser Arafat’s successor.

Straw said Hamas could “disrupt the electoral process and damage democratic Palestinian causes” by not participating in the Jan. 9 Palestinian Authority presidential election.

“It is utterly cynical of Hamas to boycott these elections,” Straw said. “It would not even serve their real purpose, which is trying to improve the lot of poor Palestinians, were they to succeed in this disruption.”

HAARETZ: Three foreign workers hurt by mortar fire in Gaza Strip

Three foreign workers from Thailand were wounded Tuesday, one critically, when a pair of mortar shells struck the hothouse of a settlement of the Gush Katif bloc in the Gaza Strip.

The two others sustained light injuries. All three were initially treated at the scene before being evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.

No one else was injured in the attack.

HAARETZ: Hamas leader says Hamas still meets with EU, U.S.

The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas said his organization is still in contact with the European Union even though the EU considers it a terrorist organization, the BBC reported Monday.

He also said the United States had made contact “in past months” but did not specify how or when.

“The European Union, which put Hamas on a list of terrorist organizations, is still continuing communications and meetings,” Khaled Mashaal, Hamas’ top political leader, told the British Broadcasting Corp.

“They recognize Hamas’s authority and that there is no understanding or stability in Palestine without a dialogue with Hamas.”

JERUSALEM POST: Sharon: No change yet in PA attitude to terror

The new Palestinian leadership is not doing enough to restrain terrorists, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday, after attackers blew up an IDF outpost in Gaza and killed five soldiers.

The comments marked the first time since Yasser Arafat’s death last month that Sharon criticized Arafat’s moderate successor, Mahmoud Abbas, though he did not mention Abbas by name. It was not clear whether the outpost attack would disrupt the fledgling good will between Israel and the Palestinians.

Hamas and gunmen with ties to the ruling Fatah movement claimed responsibility for the attack they dubbed “Operation Angry Volcano.” Hamas said it had dug an 800-meter-long tunnel over four months to reach the outpost.

Sharon said Monday that progress in peace efforts “depends on the Palestinians, if they will act against terror.

“By now, we don’t see any change,” Sharon said, speaking in English. “Myself and my government would like to move forward toward peace, but it depends on one thing, that it should be quiet and I’m really sorry to say that by now we don’t see any changes.”

Take this with the appropriate grains of salt:

Egypt said Tuesday it had brokered an understanding to halt Israeli-Palestinian violence and move toward a peace accord . . .

[snip]

Egypt’s state-run news agency, MENA, reported that Cairo would call for a July peace conference in Washington to include all parties to the agreement: Israel, the Palestinians, the United States and the European Union. The plan calls for an early cease-fire and contains overall principles for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict . . .

The agency said the Egyptian plan, which was discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and other officials, included the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza and a plan for Egyptian border troops to be responsible for security of the Egyptian-Palestinian border and the Palestinian side of the border with Israel.

Responding to the report, Israeli officials said there was no new agreement for a cease-fire. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the test of a cease-fire would be in its implementation, not its declaration.

HAARETZ: Kaddoumi: Fatah may expel Barghouthi for election bid

The new chief of the dominant Palestinian Fatah movement threatened to expel Marwan Barghouthi, a popular leader jailed by Israel, if he stays in the presidential race to succeed Yasser Arafat.

Barghouthi’s candidacy as an independent dashed expectations of an easy win for Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate former prime minister who is Fatah’s candidate for president in the Jan. 9 election. A recent poll conducted by Bir-Zeit University found the two closely matched, with 46 percent of respondents supporting Barghouti and 44 percent supporting Abbas. The only other candidates are long-shot challengers.

“As the presidential election draws closer, any Fatah member who goes against decisions of the movement’s central committee should resign and his membership would be cancelled,” Farouk Kaddoumi, a leading hard-liner, told reporters late on Sunday.

Getting caught and convicted for participating in the murders of five non-Muslims makes you a hero, but running against Arafat’s right-hand-man is a no-no.

HAARETZ: Palestinian militants kill suspected collaborator

Palestinian militants killed a 19-year-old man who was suspected of helping Israel track down wanted Palestinian fugitives, Palestinian security officials said Monday.

The officials said 19-year-old Jad al-Hindi was abducted late Sunday by the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent militant group linked to the dominant Fatah movement. Early Monday, police found Al-Hindi’s body, saying he had been shot in the head 12 times.

An Al Aqsa spokesman said al-Hindi helped Israeli undercover agents track down and kill three of its members in Ramallah on Nov. 21. A neighbor, Salam Yacob, said Al-Hindi watched the fugitives and informed on them to Israeli intelligence when the men were killed.

JERUSALEM POST: Nablus head of PFLP arrested

Security forces arrested Musa Bader, 27, the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine infrastructure, in Nablus late Sunday night.

According to officials, the same infrastructure was responsible for the Carmel Market suicide bombing in Tel Aviv several weeks ago, as well as a string of other attacks.

HAARETZ: IDF places missile battery near Haifa

The Israel Air Force on Sunday positioned a battery of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles in the Haifa Bay area, in order to intercept any Hezbollah-operated drones launched from Lebanon.

The decision to place the battery was reached after a Hezbollah drone invaded Israeli airspace over the town of Nahariya last month.

The Iranian-made drone managed to fly in Israeli skies for about 15 minutes, undetected by the IDF’s anti aircraft forces.

Unlike the Hezbollah, who fire off anti-aircraft rounds with the intention of raining down shrapnel on civilian areas withn Israel, the IDF will likely self-destruct any anti-aircraft missiles that miss their targets if fired during a drone incursion.

JERUALEM POST: Islamic Jihad rules out truce

Islamic Jihad leader in the Gaza Strip, Mohammed Al-Hindi, said Saturday that his group would not agree to a temporary ceasefire (hudna) “of any length” with Israel, “as long as the Zionist enemy occupies Palestinian lands.”

Al-Hindi added that Islamic Jihad was rejecting all talk of ceasefire “as long as the circumstances that led to the death of the late leader Yasser Arafat are still unclear, and we do not know if he died by poisoning or from radiation.”

“On the light of the numerous statements on ceasefire or truce, the Islamic Jihad rejects even discussing this issue and talking about either a short- or long-term truces,” al Hindi told reporters in Gaza.

“This is the clear position as long as the attacks are continued against our people and the Palestinian territories, the latest aggression was Friday’s assassination of Islamic Jihad militant in Jenin,” he said.

HAARETZ: IDF troops arrest top Hamas leader in Tul Karm

Israel Defense Forces troops arrested Tul Karm Hamas military wing leader Rami Teikh as well as two other wanted militants early Saturday.

Teikh was identified by security sources as head of the Hamas armed wing in Tul Karm. He was been wanted by Israel since 2002.

Witnesses said IDF troops surrounded an apartment building in Tul Karm and took Teikh into custody. “Don’t kill him, we need him alive,” one resident quoted a soldier as telling his comrades.

According to the IDF, Teikh, 26, was responsible for carrying out an infiltration into the Avnei Hefetz settlement in March of this year, in which one man was killed and his daughter was wounded.

Teikh also tried to dispatch a number of terrorists into Israel in an effort to carry out terror attacks in Netanya, Jerusalem, and IDF checkpoints.

Teikh, sources said, has evaded capture in recent years by hiding out among the local populace and moving from place to place disguised as a woman.

A member of the militant Islamic Jihad group and the owner of the apartment where Teikh was hiding were also taken into custody in the raid. Troops found two automatic rifles, a pistol and ammunition at the hideout, security sources said.

HAARETZ: Senior Hamas man: We accept Israel living in peace, security

In an apparent change in long-standing policy, a top Hamas leader said Friday the militant Islamic group would accept the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as well as a long-term truce with Israel.

Hamas has long sought to destroy Israel and replace it with an Islamic Palestinian state, rejecting peace accords and carrying out suicide bombings and other attacks that have killed hundreds of people and badly damaged peace efforts.

“Hamas has announced that it accepts a Palestinian independent state within the 1967 borders with a long-term truce,” Sheikh Hassan Yousef, the top Hamas leader in the West Bank, told The Associated Press, referring to lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

Hamas’ charter still calls for the destruction Israel.

Some policy change, eh?

UPDATE:
LEBANON DAILY STAR: Hamas official says group will accept long-term truce

But Hamas spokesman in Lebanon, Ossama Hamdan, denied the group had changed its policies. “I can say there has been no changes in the movement’s stance and policy toward occupation,” he said.

Hamdan said Youssef had the authority to talk for the group, but found it hard to believe Yousef made such statements.

HAARETZ: IDF troops kill wanted Jihad man near Jenin

Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed a wanted Islamic Jihad man during an arrest raid in the West Bank before dawn Friday.

The troops surrounded the house where Mahmoud Hamed Kamil, 27, was staying, in the village of Raba southwest of Jenin, and instructed him to come out.

They shot Kamil, who was armed with a pistol, when he tried to escape, the IDF said.

“Soldiers called out for occupants of a house which they suspected contained wanted men to come out,” an IDF spokeswoman said. “The man was shot after he was spotted carrying a weapon as he tried to escape.”

Security forces said Kamil has been involved in suicide bombings and shooting attacks, Israel Radio reported.

JERUSALEM POST: Mubarak: Barghouti’s candidacy will cause split

The candidacy of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti to the Palestinian Authority chairmanship is bound to cause a split in the Palestinian political landscape, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Cairo, Mubarak said that Barghouti’s decision to run in the elections, however inappropriate, does not pose a serious threat to Mahmoud Abbas. The Egyptian president expressed his support for Abbas, saying that the former Palestinian prime minister will enjoy a swift win.

HAARETZ: Barghouti submits candidacy for PA chairman election

(Not the human-rights activist Barghouti, but the convicted mass-murderer Barghouti)

Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti has submitted his candidacy for the Palestinian Authority chairmanship, his brother said Wednesday.

Barghouti, currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail, declared last week that he would step aside in favor of Mahmoud Abbas, the former Palestinian prime minister who is Fatah’s official candidate.

JERUSALEM POST: Air force foils Kassam attack

An IAF helicopter fired a missile at a group of Palestinians that were on the verge of firing a Kassam rocket into Israel from Beit Hanun in the Gaza Strip Wednesday.

According to IDF officials, the missile hit the rocket launcher causing it to explode.

HAARETZ: Hamas calls for boycott of elections for PA chairman

The Palestinian Islamic militant faction Hamas will boycott a Jan. 9 presidential election for a successor to Yasser Arafat, a senior Hamas leader said on Wednesday.

“We in the Islamic resistance announce our boycott and our non-participation in the presidential elections for the Palestinian Authority,” Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, told reporters in Gaza City.

“All Hamas members will abide by the decision to boycott the elections. The Palestinian people understand the need and are well aware of the Hamas position but there is no call for ordinary Palestinians not to vote,” he said.

JERUSALEM POST: Bomb-maker Abdallah Barghouti gets 67 life terms

The Judea Military Court sentenced Hamas member Abdallah Barghouti to 67 life sentences for his involvement in a number of deadly terror attacks perpetrated against Israel.

Barghouti was charged with preparing the bombs that were used in three suicide bomb attacks in Jerusalem and Rishon Letzion in 2001 and 2002, which together caused the massive death toll: 66 Israelis were killed and hundreds more wounded.

The bombs Barghouti prepared were used in the attacks at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem in august 2001, in which 15 Israelis were killed and 130 wounded; the Sheffield Club in Rishon Letzion on May 7 2002, in which 15 Israelis were killed and 59 wounded; and the bomb attack in Jerusalem’s Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall on December 1 2001, in which 10 were killed and 191 wounded.

HAARETZ: Qassam rocket lands near Sderot

A Qassam rocket landed near the entrance to the southern town of Sderot on Tuesday. There were no injuries or damage caused. This was the first time in some three weeks that Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a Qassam at the southern town.

(Just in case you believed the Hamas statement about a 10-year ceasefire and no attacks during palestinian presidential campaigns/elections.)

UPDATE:
HAARETZ Ticker: Second Qassam rocket lands near Sderot.

JERUSALEM POST: Gaza: Father and son to die for aiding Israel

A Palestinian court on Monday sentenced a father and son to death for helping Israel carry out a failed assassination attempt against a Hamas leader, Palestinian officials said.

The Gaza criminal court earlier convicted Mohammed Abu Ganas, 53, and his son Rami, 22, of providing information to a foreign country and harming Palestinian interests.

The father and son were arrested last December. In April, the court said, the two were heard confessing to a journalist that they aided Israeli intelligence in setting up an attempt on the life of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi on June 10, 2003. That attempt failed, but Rantisi was killed in another Israeli air strike on April 17.

The sentence must be confirmed by the president of the Palestinian Authority before it could be carried out.

(Just a reminder… today is the United Nations Day Of Solidarity With The Palestinian People.)

JERUSALEM POST: Abu Warade sentenced to 48 life sentences

The military court in Yehuda sentenced Muhammad Abu Warade from Hamas to 48 life sentences on Monday. He was responsible for the deaths of 45 Israelis over the last decade, Army Radio reported.

Abu Warade was behind the two terror bombings on the number 18 bus line in Jerusalem and also sent a suicide bomber to the hitchhiking station in Ashkelon in 1996.

HAARETZ: IDF rescues two soldiers from collapsed Gaza tunnel

An Israel Defense Forces rescue team extricated two IDF soldiers Monday from a weapons-smuggling tunnel that collapsed along the Gaza-Egypt border, trapping the soldiers inside.

Both of the soldiers were hurt in the collapse, one moderately. They were transferred to Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva for treatment.

IDF rescuers were at first unable to contact the trapped soldiers but then managed to make contact and locate them, Israel Radio reported. The tunnel is situated near the IDF’s Hardon outpost.

The reason for the collapse were not immediately clear, but Israel Radio said it was not caused by an explosion.

JERUSALEM POST: Sheikh Yusef: Hamas ready for ‘hudna’

Sheikh Hassan Yusef, head of the Hamas political bureau in Ramallah said Monday that Hamas is willing to declare a 10 year hudna, or ceasefire.

In an interview with Israel Radio, the senior Hamas leader said that the Islamic movement would consider committing to a ceasefire in order to ultimately join a national unity government with the Palestinian leadership, as Hamas is interested in playing an active role in the new Palestinian government and participating in national decisions.

He did not reject the possibility that Hamas would stop terror attacks against Israel during negotiations. However, a truce with Israel, Yusef said, would be dependant on an end of the Israeli occupation of the territories, release of security prisoners and “elimination of Israeli violence.” When asked which borders “occupation” was referring to, he said the borders of 1967, not 1948.

Yusef also called on the United States and the international community to reconsider their definition of Hamas a “terror organization.”

HAARETZ: PA said planning to disband Gaza ‘Death Squad’

Rashid Abu Shbak, the head of the Palestinian Authority Preventive Security forces in Gaza, announced on Saturday that its special unit in the Strip, also called the ‘Death Squad’ will be disbanded, Israel Radio reported.

Its members will all be dispersed in different Palestinian security services units, Abu Shbak said.

The Death Squad was created during the first months of the second intifada in response to attacks by opposition factions against the Palestinian Authority. The unit is infamous for its brutal methods of operation.

“The security and protection department has become a source of accusation and doubts. As a preventive security service we are keen to defend the rights of the citizen,” Abu Shbak said.

The decision on the unit’s decommissioning was made after Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip protested that the Death Squad was used primarily against the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad.

The head of the unit, Nabil Tanus, told Israel Radio he would respect the decision and will continue to serve in a different unit of the Palestinian security services.

The first step on the Roadmap clearly obligates the Palestinian side to end incitement and stop armed terrorist groups.

Forget the name for a moment… this was a unit used primarily against the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Those are terrorist groups, or at least even more terrorist that Fateh, Tanzim, and Al-Aqsa.

This isn’t just the Palestinian Authority doing nothing about that step. This is the disbanding of an anti-terrorist unit, and this is a step backward from reigning in Hamas and Islamic Jihad as per the Roadmap obligations.

HAARETZ: IDF troops arrest Hamas man involved in murder of two Israelis

Israel Defense Forces troops operating in the West Bank on Saturday arrested Hamas militant Amin Shakirat, who masterminded the murder of two Israeli security guards near Abu Dis in November 2003.

The troops conducted searches in the vicinity of Sawahara, in the West Bank, based on intelligence information received, and found the Hamas man hiding in the kitchen in his home.

The gambit to release Barghouti as some sort of palestinian Nelson Mandela (instead of a palestinian Terry Nichols) continues…

HAARETZ: Arab MK visits jailed Barghouti to discuss PA leadership run

Israeli Arab Knesset member Jamal Zahalka (Balad) met Friday afternoon with the prominent Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in his Israeli prison to find out whether he intends to run for chairman of the Palestinian Authority as an independent candidate or to support former Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, named this week as Fatah’s official candidate for the post.

Elections to the PA chairmanship will be held on January 9 and were called following the death of Yasser Arafat two weeks ago.

Before the meeting Zahalka said that “the Palestinian leadership needs Marwan Barghouti as a key figure who could stabilize the situation after Arafat in any serious negotiations with Israel.”

Barghouti “has to be immediately released,” he added.

An aide to the convicted multiple-murderer will be giving a press conference within an hour to announce whether Barghouti will toss his bloody hat into the ring or not.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE:
Fateh tries to talk him out of running. (Nader?)

UPDATE 2:
First announcement: He’s not running for President.

JERUSALEM POST: Weapons tunnel destroyed; mortars fired

Early Friday morning security forces blew up a 150 meter long weapons smuggling tunnel in south Gaza whose opening was found underneath the bed of Hamas activist Hamadan Hasnat in his home in Rafah on Thursday. According to officials, Hasnat used the tunnel to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Palestinian side of Rafah.

During the operation to blow up the tunnel, a bomb was detonated and shots fired at soldiers. After completing the mission, troops pulled out of the area.

This is the 22nd tunnel to be found by security forces since the beginning of the year.

Elsewhere in the Gaza Strip, 5 mortars were fired at Israeli settlements and an IDF base in northern and southern Gaza. No one was wounded in any of the attacks.

In the West Bank Friday, security forces demolished the Hebron home of Malek Abed Aldin a member of the Hamas who planned to blow himself up in the Jerusalem Caffit Coffee Shop in July this year. At the last minute, after reaching the site wearing an explosives belt, Aldin reneged on the plan and returned to his Hebron home where he was shot and killed by security forces several days later during an attempt to arrest him. He ditched the explosives belt he was to use in the attack on his return to Hebron.

JERUSALEM POST: Arab world: 73.72% want Hamas to replace Arafat

A survey of the Arab world organized by the Al-Arabia network website after the death of Yasser Arafat, showed 73.72% want a Hamas representative to replace Arafat, ITIM reported. In contrast only 0.7% expect that one of the PLO leaders will take over.

25.58% were in favor of an independent candidate.

113,107 participants from across the Arab world took part in the survey.

The organizers of the survey explained that the Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad organization stand for the establishment of a Palestinian state on the land of historic Palestine, a concept that the PLO gave up on when the Oslo discussions began.

HAARETZ: Fatah sources: Barghouti to announce candidacy for PA leader

Sources in the ruling Fatah movement said Thursday that Marwan Barghouti - the Fatah military leader currently serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail - intends to announce his candidacy for the chairmanship of the Palestinian Authority, to replace Yasser Arafat who died two weeks ago.

The Fatah Central Committee is expected to name former Palestinian prime minister and PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as the movement’s official candidate.

There has been no official confirmation from Barghouti or his lawyers.

But Amin Maqboul, the secretary general of the Fatah Higher Committee said that Barghouti has informed Fatah leaders through his lawyers that he will compete in the election.

On Wednesday evening, 55 of 66 Fatah legislators met with an Abbas confidant, Tayeb Abdel Rahim, and a majority endorsed Abbas, said Dalal Salama, one of the lawmakers.

UPDATE:
Fateh is still backing Abbas. Barghouti is being told to run as an independent.

HAARETZ: EU’s Solana retracts talk of Hamas ‘contacts’

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana denied on Thursday having had direct contact with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, hours after he said just that in a BBC interview.

Solana’s office issued a statement saying “at no time Dr. Solana wished to imply that direct contacts between himself and Hamas had taken place” since the Islamic movement was put on the EU’s list of banned terrorist organizations.

The EU foreign policy chief earlier told BBC Radio: “I have had direct contact with Hamas but not in the last few days. Those meetings were not long. They were just to pass a clear message of where the international community was.”

Asked how long ago the contact occurred, he said: “Months.”

That prompted Israel to accuse the EU of double standards and drew veiled criticism from Britain, triggering a statement from Solana’s office it said was meant to clarify his remarks.

“Any mention of contacts or meetings with Hamas referred to soundings and impressions conveyed to him but gathered by governments and other parties on the ground,” his spokeswoman, Cristina Gallach, said in the statement. “At no time did the High Representative nor his office hold direct contacts with Hamas or any other organization appearing on the EU terrorist list.”

(Sounds like the same kind of “retraction” that Peter Hansen did when he said that UNRWA had Hamas members on its payroll.)

HAARETZ: IDF troops kill two Hamas men during Hebron arrest operation

Israeli Defense Forces troops on Thursday shot dead two wanted Hamas militants during an arrest operation in the West Bank town of Hebron.

The two militants were identified as Murad ak-Kazasma, 28, and Omri al-Hamoni, 21.

A third wanted militant, Iyad Abu Shahada,28, was critically wounded in the incident and arrested. The man is said to be a senior member of the Hamas cell in Hebron and the prime target of Thursday ‘s operation.

The troops surrounded a building in the center of Hebron where the three were hiding. They then demolished the building after the militants refused to come out.

The three were then believed to have found refuge in a pit between the rubble, out of which they opened fire on the IDF troops who were searching the area. The troops returned fire and killed the two.

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinian-Canadian convicted of planning attacks

A Gaza-born Canadian citizen pleaded guilty Wednesday to planning attacks on Israelis in North America and was sentenced by a military court to four years in prison, the Israeli army said.

Jamal Akkal, 24, was arrested in Gaza on Nov. 1, 2003, and charged with conspiracy to commit murder. Prosecutors said Akkal planned to carry out attacks against Israeli officials traveling in the United States, as well as bombings against Jewish targets in North America.
Akkal had denied the charges, claiming a confession he gave was made under duress.

Under Wednesday’s plea bargain, Akkal was found guilty of conspiracy to commit manslaughter and receiving paramilitary training, the army said. He was credited with time served since his arrest, and five lesser charges were dropped.

Akkal, who was also fined 2,000 shekels (US$450), had faced up to 10 years in prison.

HAARETZ: High Court allows construction of fence near Jerusalem to begin

Security forces can now begin constructing the separation fence in the area east of Jerusalem after the High Court of Justice on Wednesday rejected a petition against the fence’s route.

The petition was made by residents of the Palestinian village Tzur Baher on the edge of Jerusalem where the fence is planned to cross through the center.

The petitioners asked that the fence be rerouted further to the east since it would obstruct their daily life.

But another group of the village’s residents opposed the alternative route proposed by the petitioners, and claimed before the High Court that rerouting the fence would hurt them.

Consequently, the justices decided in their ruling to reject the petition and leave the fence’s planned route unchanged.

After the authorization of this section of the “Jerusalem bypass,” the construction of four other sections of the route remains pending on the High Court’s approval.

In the meanwhile the new route of the fence is still awaiting the approval of the government.

JERUSALEM POST: Qurei hopes to join militia to PA

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei said on Sunday that he is working to merge members of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades into the Palestinian security forces.

Qurei met in Ramallah with US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns and told him that “the Aksa Martyrs Brigades are an integral part of Fatah. We need to solve their case by protecting them and merging them into security forces.”

The group’s gunmen have over the past few days been waging a campaign against Qurei and other PA leaders, accusing them of abandoning them while they are being hunted and killed by Israel.

Leaflets distributed by the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank have also challenged PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as Fatah’s sole candidate to run in the election for the chairmanship of the PA.

Both Qurei and Abbas are concerned that the group would try to disrupt the elections either by calling for a boycott or by launching attacks on Israel and PA installations.

At the meeting with Burns, Qurei called on Israel to redeploy the IDF in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to enable the PA to hold the elections on time.

JERUSALEM POST: Fatah fugitive killed after leaving Mukata hideout

A top Palestinian fugitive and two other Palestinians were killed Sunday evening in a gun battle with an elite Israel Police anti-terror unit (Yamam) near Beituniya north of Jerusalem.

One of the policemen was lightly wounded in the battle and taken to Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem.

Police had entered Beituniya, which is south of Ramallah, to arrest Mohammed Ghassan Sheikh, a member of the Fatah armed wing, the Al Aksa Martyrs’ Brigades (AKA the Yasser Arafat Martyrs’ Brigades), who had been hiding out in Yasser Arafat’s Mukata headquarters in Ramallah over a long period.

Ghassan was killed just hours after he left the Mukata on Sunday.

The anti-terror Police unit reached Beituniya and spotted Sheikh in a car with two others.

According to Israeli security officials, the fugitives opened fire on the Police unit and the gun battle ensued.

Mohammed Ghassan Sheikh and two others traveling in the car with him were killed in the ensuing gun battle.

Sheikh was recently trying to rejuvenate Fatah’s infrastructure in Ramallah.

Not any more.

JERUSALEM POST: Atwan: Arafat signed Oslo Accords hoping Jews would flee

Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based daily al-Quds al-Arabi, said Arafat made his remarks when they met in Tunis, a few days before the PLO returned to the Gaza Strip.

“I met with him in his office at around 3.00 a.m.,” Atwan recalled.

“The man told me, ‘Listen, Abdel Bari, I know that you are opposed to the Oslo Accords, but you must always remember what I’m going to tell you. The day will come when you will see thousands of Jews fleeing Palestine. I will not live to see this, but you will definitely see it in your lifetime. The Oslo Accords will help bring this about.’”

…

Atwan also disclosed that Arafat decided to form the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of Fatah, in response to US and Israeli attempts to sideline him after the failed Camp David summit in 2000.

“President Arafat was the one who established the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in response to the attempt to marginalize him after the failure of the Camp David summit,” he added.

AL -JAZEERA: Hamas may back independent candidate

In an exclusive interview with Aljazeera.net, Hasan Yusuf said it would be futile and inexpedient for the movement to adopt a passive role in the elections.

“This is a crucial phase of our national struggle, and taking a passive or indifferent stance toward the elections undermines the interests of both the Palestinian people and the Islamic movement,” he told Aljazeera.net on Saturday.

Yusuf said it was only logical that Hamas would chose the best possible, or least disagreeable, candidate.

“If a candidate declares that he is committed to true democracy, and if he pledges to defend the paramount issues such as Jerusalem, the refugees, then it would be foolish not to support him.

“Not supporting him would only help other candidates who might compromise the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.”

JERUSALEM POST: Tunnel collapses near Rafah; at least 3 killed

Between three to five Palestinians were killed on Thursday when a tunnel collapsed near Rafah, on the border between Israel and Egypt, not far from the IDF’s Tarmit outpost.

According to IDF officials, Palestinians informed the local District Coordination Office of a land collapse in which up to five Palestinians were buried.

Officials said it appears that the Palestinians were in the midst of digging a tunnel when the collapse occurred.

UPDATE:
Death toll is now up to 5.

UPDATE 2:
Three survivors arrested.

We Do Not Regret the Death of Arafat, who Expressed his Joy at Sadat’s Assassination

While PA Chairman Yasser Arafat was dying, some columnists in the Egyptian government press avoided expressing hope for his recovery. They explained their position as stemming from Arafat’s joyful behavior following the assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat. The following are excerpts from two articles on the subject:

‘I Do Not Care at All Whether He Remains Unconscious’

Anwar Wagdi, a c olumnist for the Egyptian government weekly Akhbar Al-Youm, wrote on November 6, 2004:

“I do not know what will become of the Palestinian president Yasser Arafat, and I do not care at all whether he remains unconscious in the recovery room of a hospital in Paris or whether he suddenly awakens, dons his military uniform, and boards the plane to return to Ramallah, with a broad grin on his face and his two famous fingers reaching the skies in [his] traditional sign of victory, a victory that never was throughout the long decades that have gone by…

“My lack of interest in Arafat’s fate does not stem from a lack of humanity toward a poor, sick person, who is suffering the agony of dying, but [stems from the fact] that I have not forgotten, and will not forget, as long as I live, how Arafat jumped for joy, dancing, singing, and praising [the killers] as soon as he learned of the death of the late Egyptian President Anwar Al-Sadat on October 6, 1981.

“The picture of Yasser Arafat exchanging congratulations with those surrounding him on the occasion of the death of the ‘traitor’ and the ‘agent’ – as they had the audacity to describe the Egyptian president … prevents me from expressing solidarity with Abu Ammar [i.e. Yasser Arafat], whatever his fate may be.” [1]

‘We in Egypt will Never Forget how Yasser Arafat Broadcast the Song ‘Rejoice My Heart’ in the [West] Bank and the [Gaza] Strip when President Al-Sadat was Assassinated’

In a similar vein, columnist and former editor Anis Mansour wrote on November 10, 2004 in the Egyptian government daily Al-Ahram:

“Life is in the hands of Allah, O Abu Ammar. and one must not gloat over a death. [However,] we in Egypt will never forget how Yasser Arafat broadcast the song ‘Rejoice My Heart’ in the [West] Bank and the [Gaza] Strip when President Al-Sadat was assassinated, [nor will we forget] the exclamations of joy regarding ‘the fall of the Zionist traitor, agent, criminal, and exterminator Anwar Al-Sadat!’

“What has passed is dead. And the dead has already paid his debt and must not be beaten. Yasser Arafat has left the Palestinian people facing a difficult choice and a test. This opportunity must not be missed. The Palestinian people must prove to the world that it can have one stand and one leadership in order to renew the struggle in a different form…

“In the event that the Palestinians are divided in their opinions regarding who should be their leader and in the event that they direct their guns toward themselves and there is a civil war – they will give Israel, the U.S., and the entire world a strong justification to cease all negotiations, because there is no one [Palestinian leader] with whom an understanding can be reached, but [instead there are] many.

“If the absence of such a person continues for a long time, Israel will shelve the road map plan and there will be no map and no road, but anarchy

in Palestine, and that will constitute a danger to Israel’s security. [In such an event,] there will be no escape, and the U.N., the U.S., the European Community, and the Arab League will publish a resolution concerning Palestine, and in the future there will be those who [talk] about the need to occupy Palestine or make it a protectorate.

“In order to avoid such a thing, the Palestinian people must quickly choose a wise leadership – otherwise, there will be thousands of bad scenarios that will take us back for another century.”

HAARETZ: Palestinian who gave Iraqi money to bombers’ families jailed

A military court last week sentenced the Palestinian leader of the Arab Liberation Front to eight years in prison for receiving funds from Iraq and distributing them to the families of suicide bombers in the West Bank.

Rakhad Salaam, a resident of the West Bank, received money and directives from Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power.

In addition to an eight year prison sentence, the Judea Military Court also fined Salaam NIS five million.

JERUSALEM POST: Abbas demands ceasefire from factions

In his first major political gambit since being appointed PLO executive committee chairman, Mahmoud Abbas is coaxing leaders of the major Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, to suspend terrorist attacks against Israel in the lead-up to the January 9 elections for Palestinian Authority chairman, sources in Gaza said Tuesday.

The Palestinian leadership believes a major terrorist attack could derail its hopes for smooth elections.

While none of the militant groups wants to play the role of elections spoiler, the more extremist of the Fatah elements and the Islamic groups consider Abbas something of a traitor for his concessions to Israel during his stint as prime minister in 2003.

Both Hamas and Fatah sources said that while open talk of a cease-fire has so far not reached the agenda “it is implicit that there is a need to create the right environment for elections, and that there are certain arrangements to be made before that can happen,” Palestinian Legislative Council member Ziad Abu Amr told The Jerusalem Post Tuesday night.

(Is he going to claim that this satisfies his Roadmap obligation to “fight terrorism and disarm terror groups?”)

UPDATE:
Final word is that Hamas and Islamic Jihad are saying no, and they will not participate in the elections because both groups reject the Oslo Accords under which the PA was founded. The key disagreement with the Oslo Accords by these groups is the recognition of the State of Israel’s right to exist. However, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have expressed a willingness to share power with/within the PLO because the PLO never officially removed the provisions calling for the destruction of Israel.

UPDATE 2:
From Reuters:

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday vowed a crackdown on armed groups operating in Palestinian areas in order to smooth the way to a Jan. 9 election for a successor to Yasser Arafat.

Abbas urged Israel to halt “aggressive” military action in the West Bank and Gaza to help him restore order before the vote in his first media interview since taking over as head of the Palestine Liberation Organization after the death of Arafat.

“Steps will be taken to end the public display or show of arms,” Abbas told Reuters, saying action would be taken before the election. “We have to move on to a new era.

“We will act firmly against anyone who violates the law so that we can make the citizens feel secure.”

But in promising to tackle factional lawlessness, Abbas left unclear whether security forces might also act to curb militants preparing to carry out attacks on Israelis — a key demand of a U.S.-backed peace plan envisaging a Palestinian state.

The story was written by Wafa Amr, so it may be necessary to take it with a grain of salt.

HAARETZ: Militants threaten to hang PA men suspected of corruption

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades groups in the northern West Bank threatened Tuesday to establish “revolutionary courts” in order to try Palestinian Authority figures and Fatah officials who served under Yasser Arafat and are suspected of corruption.

They threatened to take the law into their own hands and alluded to the public hanging of officials found guilty in their courts.

The announcement by the group, Fatah’s military wing, included the names of senior PA figures and those who had held senior positions in the past who were allegedly involved in corrupted dealings while the late Palestinian leader was in power.

“We are presenting you with our demands and hope that you will take them seriously. We are expecting substantive and quick results within one month. If this does not happen, the Brigades will use their rifles to put an end to all expressions of corruption. They will take the law into their own hands and will establish revolutionary public courts and hanging scaffolds in city squares,” the open letter read.

The announcement, headed by a demand to reveal the causes of Arafat’s death, was written as an open letter to PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, to Chairman of the Palestinian National Council Salim Al-Za’anun and interim PA Chairman Rouhi Fattouh.

HAARETZ: Lebanon says Katyusha fire terror, sets roadblocks in south

(Knock me over with a feather… the same people called this kind of thing “legitimate resistance in response to the occupation of Cheba Farms” not a few weeks ago.)

Lebanese Information Minister Eli Firzli on Wednesday termed Katyusha fire terrorism, and said that the army has erected roadblocks in the southern part of the country in order to deter militants from firing the rockets across the border with Israel.
In an interview to the London-based A-Shark al Awsat newspaper, Firzli said the Katyusha fire was terrorism and that whoever was behind it was responsible for the anticipated Israeli offensive in Lebanon.

Two Katyusha rockets were fired at Israel on Monday night, by a previously unknown Lebanese group. One of the rockets fell in the sea off the Lebanese coast, and the second landed close to the northern town of Shlomi. There were no injuries or damage caused. Hezbollah denied any connection to the strike.

There has been no Israel Defense Forces response to the rocket attack.

AL-JAZEERA: Al-Aqsa Brigades endorse al-Barghuthi

The Palestinian resistance group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades says it is opposed to Mahmud Abbas as Yasir Arafat’s successor and would instead back jailed West Bank Fatah leader Marwan al-Barghuthi.

A spokesman said: “We do not support Abu Mazin [Abbas] for the election and we have decided to vote for Marwan Barghuthi to be our candidate for president.”

Abbas, the new Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) leader, is expected to be formally named as the candidate for the 9 January election for the mainstream Fatah party that he co-founded with Arafat, of which the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is an armed offshoot.

A poll conducted last month said al-Barghuthi was the second most popular choice for Palestinian Authority president trailing Arafat, who died on 11 November in a Paris hospital.

Fadwa al-Barghuthi said her husband - widely regarded as the inspiration behind the second Palestinian intifada - was the strongest candidate for the presidency, but that his bid would depend on Fatah.

HAARETZ: Al-Aqsa head: Support for Abbas if he keeps to key demands

The head of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank city of Jenin told Britain’s Financial Times newspaper Tuesday that he would support PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas as the candidate for the Palestinian Authority chairmanship as long as he abided by the Palestinians’ “unalterable demands.”

In an interview published Tuesday, Zacharia Zubeidi told the FT that he would accept Abbas as the Fatah candidate if he were freely elected, but said that his loyalty would only last for as long as he kept to the enduring Palestinian stance in negotiations.

“But if he subsequently goes back on our unalterable demands - a state on pre-1967 lines, its capital in Jerusalem, the right of return of refugees and the release of prisoners - we will not recognize him,” he said.

Also, Hamas is rejecting the call by Mahmoud Abbas to halt attacks.

HAARETZ: Lebanese sources confirm two Katyushas fired at Israel

Lebanese security sources on Monday confirmed that two Katyusha rockets were fired at Israel from inside Lebanese territory, saying that one landed in the sea and the other hit near to the northern Israeli town of Shlomi, just across the border.

Earlier, residents of the Western Galilee reported hearing an explosion in the region, and Israeli security forces were dispatched to search the area.

The Lebanese sources said the Katyushas were fired at around 7 P.M. and that police were trying to find out who had fired them.

Initial indications were that the Lebanese-based militant group Hezbollah was not involved.

UPDATE:
HAARETZ: UN calls on Lebanon to prevent rocket fire at Israel

If you say UN with a long slur, it sounds like “Yawn.”

JERUSALEM POST: Source: Fatah members angered at Abbas candidacy

Many members of the Fatah are angered at the news that the Fatah Central Committee is likely to nominate Mahmoud Abbas as its candidate for the planned January 9 general elections in the Palestinian Authority, according to a PA source close to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei.

“In Fatah, they know that Arafat never forgave Abbas now Abbas wants to take Arafat’s place, and many don’t like it”, one PA source said.

HAARETZ: Hamas, Jihad tell Abbas they won’t participate in elections

The leaders of militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad told PLO executive committee chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Monday that they would not participate in the upcoming elections for Palestinian Authority chairman, Israel Radio reported.

The radio quoted a Hamas spokesman who attended the talks as saying that the group would not participate in the election set for January, as the election had been announced without consulting Hamas.

The Hamas official also called for a unified Palestinian leadership and said that in the event of parliamentary elections, the group’s political wing would discuss whether to participate.

A spokesman for Islamic Jihad, Khalid el-Batch, also said Monday that his group would not participate in the elections for a new chairman, but added that the organization would also boycott future parliamentary elections on the grounds that an independent Palestinian state had not yet been created, the radio said.

JERUSALEM POST: Islamic Jihad, Aksa Brigades call truce

Both the Islamic Jihad and the Fatah Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades declared on Monday that they are prepared to call a 60-day cessation of any activity within Israeli territory until the upcoming Palestinian Authority presidential elections.

Leaders of the two groups said that their organizations would commit to a virtual hudna, or truce, halting activity within the Green Line until the elections, which are slated for January 9.

Abu Khaled, a leading figure in the political branch of the Islamic Jihad told The Jerusalem Post that his group would not want to be seen as responsible for sabotaging the elections.

“For that reason,” Khaled said, “we intend to withhold any attacks on Israelis within the Green Line for the next 60 days.”

JERUSALEM POST: Gunfire at Gaza mourning tent for Yasser Arafat
HAARETZ: 2 dead in militant fire as Abbas visits Gaza mourning tent

At least two people were killed Sunday when the entourage of former Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) came under militant gunfire during a visit to a mourning tent for Yasser Arafat in Gaza City, witnesses said.

Abbas, named earlier Sunday as Fatah’s candidate for the Palestinian Authority chairmanship, was unhurt. Witnesses said that at least one of the dead was one of Abbas’ security guard. Several other people were reportedly wounded in the shooting.

According to Channel 2 television, Abbas was accompanied by Mohammed Dahlan, the former Palestinian security chief in the Gaza Strip.

No word yet on whether the “high velocity lead poisoning” was a secret Zionist plot.

JERUSALEM POST: Al-Aksa: New ‘Yasser 1’ rocket can reach Ashkelon

The Al-Aksa Martyr’s Brigades in the Gaza Strip announced that it has developed a new rocket called ‘Yasser 1’ capable of reaching the Israeli city of Ashkelon, Army Radio reported Sunday.

The group, which is affiliated with Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, made the announcement during a rally organized by Fatah members in Gaza city in memory of the late Palestinian Authority chairman who died early Thursday.

The group described the new rocket as an improved version of the Kassam with a record firing range of 15 km.

JERUSALEM POST: Ayalon: If PA reforms, the sky is the limit

Yasser Arafat’s legacy was terrorism, and Israel is looking forward to see a new Palestinian leadership committed to fight terrorism, Israel’s ambassador to the United States Daniel Ayalon said Friday.

“If this is the case then the sky is the limit,” Ayalon said in an interview with CNN.

“We proved this in the past when we made peace with Egypt and Jordan. If the Palestinians use this opportunity and make democratic and security reforms, with one rule and one authority, without all these terror organizations, then we can move forward,” Ayalon said.

The ambassador added that the anti-Israeli incitement in Palestinian media and schools needs to be stopped. He added that Palestinian school textbooks do not recognize Israel.

“The new Palestinian leadership will be measured not by their words but by the results of their actions. If the Palestinian put an end to the terror and dismantle the terrorist groups then we can move forward,” Ayalon said.

JERUSALEM POST: Palestinians vow to step up fight

As Yasser Arafat’s successors took pains to stress their commitment to the peace process and a new era, representatives of various factions published a statement vowing to step up the fight against Israel.

Fatah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other groups issued separate leaflets calling on the Palestinians to escalate the “struggle” against Israel in the post-Arafat era. “We must continue the fight in order to fulfill President Arafat’s dream,” read one of the leaflets.

Calls for continuing the intifada were heard in rallies across the West Bank and Gaza Strip, as hundreds of Palestinians took to the streets, mourning their leader and torching tires.

Security forces were instructed to exercise restraint, but in a number of cases were forced to use rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the mobs, which threw stones, rocks, cement blocks, and in some cases bombs at troops.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon urged the new Palestinian leadership to fight terrorism, and added that Israel will continue in its efforts to reach a settlement with the Palestinians without delay.

JERUSALEM POST: Hizbullah: We can bomb Israel from the air

Hizbullah’s leader on Friday said guerrillas who earlier in the week sent an unmanned reconnaissance drone into northern Israel are capable of bombing Israeli targets from the air with the aircraft.

The drone Hizbullah flew over Israel on Sunday “can be laden with a quantity of explosives, 40 to 50 kilograms (88 to 110 pounds) and can hit any target, be it water or power plant, a military base or airport,” Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told a mass rally in eastern Lebanon.

JERUSALEM POST: Al Aksa now Arafat Martyrs Brigades

The armed wing of Fatah on Thursday announced its decision to change its name from the Aksa Martyrs Brigades to the Brigades of Martyr Yasser Arafat.

The decision came as many young guard Fatah activists in the West Bank expressed dissatisfaction with the new division of powers in the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, saying they were once again being shunned by the old guard.

Most of the criticism is directed against Mahmoud Abbas, who has replaced Arafat as chairman of the PLO executive committee, and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, who took over as head of the National Security Council, a body that oversees the work of the Palestinian security forces.

Both Abbas and Qurei, along with Rouhi Fattouh, who on Thursday was sworn in as acting chairman of the PA, belong to the old guard in the ruling Fatah faction.

“The Palestinian leadership is committing the same mistake it made in 1994, when it ignored the young generation,” complained Jawad Swaiti, a 28-year-old Fatah operative who spent five years in Israeli prison. “Unfortunately, the new leadership does not include new faces from the grassroots leaders. They are all Tunisians who came back with President Arafat in 1994.”

JERUSALEM POST: Barghouti: Intifada must go on

The Palestinian people should carry on with the intifada and the death of Yasser Arafat should not signal the end of the “resistance” against Israel, Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Fatah leader, said Thursday.

“It is important that we hold on to our national principles and values that were made sacred by the shahid (martyr) leader [Arafat] who sacrificed his life for our cause, for national unity, and for the intifada and resistance,” Barghouti said in a statement issued by his lawyer.

HAARETZ: New Fatah leader open to peace talks, ready to fight

The new leader of the Palestinian nationalist Fatah movement, chosen to replace Yasser Arafat, said on Thursday he was open to peace negotiations with Israel but also ready to pursue armed struggle if they failed.

“Resistance is the path to arriving at a political settlement,” Farouk Kaddoumi told Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV station by telephone from Cairo.

“We are not saying we are capable of defeating the Israeli army. But this policy was set out by the PLO when the martyr, our brother Abu Ammar (Arafat), stood before the United Nations in 1974 and said ‘I hold a rifle in one hand and an olive branch in the other. Don’t knock the olive branch from my hand’…

“He meant: ‘I’m ready for there to be political talks, but if they go astray then we will continue carrying the rifle’, and that’s been clear since 1974.”

JERUSALEM POST: Shalom: Barghouti will not be released from prison

Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom reacted Thursday to speculation that Israel would release jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as a goodwill gesture to the new Palestinian leadership.

“Baghouti was sentenced to life and he will be in prison for the rest of his life. He is a murderer who is responsible for murdering many Israelis,” Shalom said.

Baghouti was tried and found quilty by a Tel Avviv District Court in June for the murder of five civilians and of involvement in terrorist attacks, and is imprisoned on 5 consecutive life sentences and an additional 40 years in prison.

Baghouti is the most senior Palestinian leader to be caught by Israel to date.

They’re not sure exactly what killed him, or why he died, but they’re sure the Joos did it.

From the AFP via The Australian :

The militant Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades urged militants to attack Israel to avenge the “Zionist assassination” of Yasser Arafat, who died hours earlier in a Paris hospital, said a statement received by AFP today.

”Zionist Israel and the government of (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon are responsible for the assassination of our leader by putting him under siege,” the armed offshoot of Arafat’s mainstream Fatah party said.

Announcing a state of high-alert across the Palestinian territories, it called on people to “hit out and strike the occupation everywhere. This crime will not go without punishment.”

Also from The Australian :

A top leader of a Palestinian militant group today publicly accused Israel of killing Yasser Arafat.

Neither doctors nor Palestinian leaders would say what caused Arafat’s death today after days in a coma at a Paris hospital. Rumours he had been poisoned by Israel had swirled for weeks.

“I hold Israel responsible for the crime of killing Abu Ammar,” Hamas’ top political leader, Khaled Mashaal, told Al-Jazeera television by telephone, using the late Palestinian leader’s nom de guerre. He offered no evidence.

Mashaal referred to his own poisoning by Israeli agents in 1997 in Jordan. Mashaal survived only after Israel sent the antidote under pressure from the late Jordanian King Hussein.

“French, Arab or Palestinian doctors may not be able to find evidence” Arafat had been poisoned, Mashaal said.

“Yes, death is an act of God and a man the age of brother Abu Ammar may die a natural death, but all the circumstances which we have seen in the past two weeks and medical reports indicate that brother Abu Ammar had been poisoned,” Mashaal said.

JERUSALEM POST: Judge: Islamic charities liable for shooting death

A federal judge Wednesday found two US-based Islamic charities and an alleged fund-raiser for Hamas liable for damages in the 1996 shooting death of an American teenager in Israel.

A jury trial is set to start December 1 to determine the amount of damages in the $300 million lawsuit filed by the parents of David Boim, 17, who was gunned down while waiting for a bus in the West Bank.

In a 107-page opinion, Magistrate Judge Arlander Keys held Texas-based Holy Land Foundation and another charity, the Islamic Association for Palestine, liable for damages in the shooting.

Keys also held Mohammed Salah, a Chicago man currently under indictment in an alleged Hamas fund-raising conspiracy, liable for damages in the May 13, 1996, shooting.

“This is a huge win for victims of terrorism,” said Stephen J. Landes, an attorney for Stanley and Joyce Boim, former New Yorkers now living in Jerusalem, who brought the suit on behalf of their son and his estate.

JERUSALEM POST: Amr Moussa: Arafat was never obstacle to peace

The future of the Middle East depends on the commitment of the United States and Israel to a Palestinian state, not on the life or death of Yasser Arafat, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said Wednesday.

“It depends on the attitude of the Israeli government whether there will be a real moving ahead and offering to reach peace or not,” Moussa said on being asked how Arafat’s death would affect the Mideast peace process.

“President Arafat was never an obstacle to peace,” Moussa told a conference at the Hotel Ritz in Madrid. “He was sometimes a pretext (for others) not to move toward peace.

“People can go, leaders can go, human beings live and die but the cause, the rights, the people never do,” Moussa said.

JERUSALEM POST: TA bombing dispatcher used forged press card

The Shin Bet revealed Tuesday that two Palestinian members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine from Nablus have been arrested for involvement in the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv a week ago, in which three people were killed.

One of the suspects Bassam Khundaji smuggled the suicide bomber into Israel using a forged press card that was given to him at the Najah University, where he studied.

The Shin Bet noted that during interrogation the two suspects admitted that they initially planned to dispatch the 16-year-old bomber to the French Embassy in Tel Aviv and not the Carmel Market.

While the cat’s away…

MAARIV: Would-be suicide bomber nabbed near Jenin

The wanted terrorist who was detained overnight west of Jenin, planned to carry out a suicide bombing attack in Israel, details released for publication this evening revealed.

… the mice still want to blow themselves up.

HAARETZ: Four Palestinian militants killed by Israeli troops in Jenin

Israeli undercover forces shot and killed four Palestinians on Sunday in the West Bank town of Jenin, Palestinians said.

Palestinians sources said Israeli troops disguised as Arabs opened fire on a Palestinian vehicle, killing the four, all members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a violent offshoot of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement.

Two of the men killed, Mahmoud Mashraqa and Fadi Agba’ria, were senior members of the organization. The third militant killed was identified as Mahmoud Fahmi. The identity of the fourth militant remains unknown.

Sources in Israel said the Palestinians had opened fire first on the IDF force, and were killed in the gun battle that followed.

HAARETZ: Hezbollah says it launched unmanned drone over northern Israel

Hezbollah announced on Sunday that an unmanned reconnaissance drone it launched flew sorties over northern Israel on Sunday morning.

Hezbollah made the announcement on a newscast aired on Al-Manar, its television network. The report said that the drone, known as the Mirsad-1, conducted its first sortie Sunday morning, reaching as far as Nahariya, before returning safely to its base in southern Lebanon.

“The new qualitative achievement comes as part of the natural response to Israel’s violation of Lebanon’s air space,” the organization said, adding that it would continue dispatching drones.

“Starting today, we will send our planes as we please,” the organization said.

UPDATE:
The IDF says it crashed inside Lebanese territory, never penetrating Israeli airspace.

HAARETZ: Mofaz: In Arafat’s absence, PA trying to halt terror

“Israel is preparing for a possible escalation in violence following the death of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat,” Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz told ministers at a cabinet meeting on Sunday, adding that the Palestinian leadership that is taking shape in Ramallah is working to put an end to terror attacks.

Mofaz said “it seems the old guard has taken matters to hand, and it appears they are controlling the situation and have a desire to reach internal agreement on the day after Arafat dies? it appears they are calling for a united stance and an end to Hamas terror, however, there is no guarantee they will be successful.”

During his security review, Mofaz said the security establishment is also preparing for the possibility that Arafat will be buried in Gaza. “The moment there is an official request by the Palestinian Authority we will take all necessary actions.” With regard to the ‘new Palestinian leadership’, Mofaz said “we expect a legitimate leadership that will materialize reforms which will lead to one authority, one weapon and one law? we do not interfere with what happens in the PA? we will not interfere in the basing of the new leadership.”

(ed- Italics and single quotes mine)

JERUSASLEM POST: ‘Hamas won’t control Gaza after pullout’

The Palestinian Authority is not prepared to control of the Gaza Strip and take charge of the security there following an Israeli withdrawal as long as Hamas and the Islamic Jihad do not agree to a seize fire, former Palestinian prime minister Mahmous Abbas (Abu Mazen) said Saturday.

In an interview published Saturday in the Saudi daily al-Okaz, Abu Mazen said that Hamas will not be allowed to interfere in Palestinian affairs as long as it has not joined the Palestinian political arena as a political party.

“We need to unify the security forces and instruct them to control the situation on the ground as a first and key step towards a serious dialogue with Hamas and Jihad,” Abu Mazen said.

“If there is a withdrawal from Gaza or the West Bank, it is the PA which will take control there. After the withdrawal, if Hamas wants to be part of the PA or the PLO and play a role in the political life, we will welcome such move,” Abbas added.

JERUSALEM POST: Gunmen fire at Gaza prison guards

Palestinian militants engaged in a gunfight Thursday with Palestinian security forces at Gaza’s central prison in a display of rage at the killing of a clan member.

Gunmen attacked the prison compound where the suspects in the October killing of their relative, Mohammed Issa, were being held.

The gunmen fired at the guards, who responded with warning shots in the air.

HAARETZ: Security services arrest 16 members of Bethlehem terror cell

The Shin Bet security services and the Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday they have in recent weeks arrested 16 residents of Bethlehem who are suspected have having planned a series of large scale terror attack in Jerusalem.

The cell is said to have planned to launch two pairs of suicide bombers to the Mea She’arim neighborhood in the capital, and to carry out a terror attack using an explosive-laden ambulance.

Based on details released on Tuesday by security forces, Hamas was meant to provide the suicide bombers for the missions, and Islamic Jihad was supposed to provide the explosive devices. Some of those arrested, including the would-be suicide bombers, served in the Palestinian national security services. Among those arrested is Hamed Dar’awi, an active member of the PA’s national security services, who is said to have been the planner of the ambulance attack.

The cell is said to have received instructions from Palestinian militant leaders in the Gaza Strip.

ITV: Bomber’s mother condemns militants

No, she doesn’t.

The mother of a 16-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber who blew himself up in an Israeli market has condemned the militants that sent her son on his deadly mission.

Eli Amer Alfar, from the Askar refugee camp near the West Bank city of Nablus, blew himself up in Tel Aviv’s busy Carmel market, killing himself and three Israelis and injuring at least 32 others.

His mother, 45-year-old Samira Abdullah, has described the last time she saw him.

She said: “At night, he kissed me on my head and cheeks. I asked him what was wrong with him.

“He begged me to be happy for him. I said ‘why are you saying this? I am always happy for you and your brothers’.”

Mrs Abdullah had harsh words for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a radical PLO faction which has claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing.

“It’s immoral to send someone so young,” she said.

So she’s against the violence and brutal murder of innocent civilians?

“They should have sent an adult who understands the meaning of his deeds.”

Apparently not.

UPDATE:
Her house has been demolished.

HAARETZ: IDF kills two militants in Nablus

Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot dead two militants affiliated with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement, who were wanted by security forces.

Among those killed is senior member of the militant group, Majdi Murei, 25. Murei was allegedly responsible for several attempts to launch suicide bombers, including children.

The shootout began as IDF troops came to arrest Murei.

According to Palestinian medical officials, three men were killed in the incident. The three were identified as Jihad Abu Salha and Majdi Murei, both 25, and 20-year-old Fadhi Farawan.

JERUSALEM POST: Qurei condemns TA suicide bombing

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei on Monday condemned the suicide bombing in Tel Aviv’s Karmel marketplace, saying it did not serve the interests of the Palestinians.

Meanwhile, sources in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that Qurei and former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas turned down a request from Hamas to establish a united national leadership that would replace the PA.

The sources said Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal phoned the two to ask them to agree to the formation of the new body, which will consist of representatives of all the Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

“The proposal is completely unacceptable because there a legitimate leadership already exists,” one source said. “If Hamas wants to join the PA, it is welcome.”

In response to the suicide attack, Qurei told reporters: “We condemn all operations that target civilians whether Palestinians or Israelis. We strongly condemn this act which targets civilians. We don’t think it serves our cause, especially under the current circumstances. We ask everyone to stop targeting civilians completely because this does not serve our cause.”

JERUSALEM POST: IDF assault on Mukata fugitives under consideration

Security officials have not ruled out the possibility of an operation to capture wanted fugitives holed up in the Mukata compound in Ramallah, even as Palestinian Authority officials prepare to take control while awaiting news on the fate of ailing PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

The officials would not say whether such an operation is in the making. It is not clear how many fugitives, described as responsible for killing or wounding scores of Israelis, remain inside the building, but the officials agreed that they continue to plot and orchestrate attacks.

Ever since Arafat was confined to his Ramallah headquarters some two years ago, fugitives, including members of the PA security forces, sought refuge in the building with his blessing, successfully evading attempts to capture them. They took advantage of the fact that, due to the sensitivity of the situation, the army refrained from taking action.

At the time, the security establishment estimated that up to 50 fugitives were inside the compound, but estimates today are of a far smaller number.

Over the weekend, both IDF and Shin Bet officials denied reports that orders to freeze initiated operations until Arafat’s situation or his successor’s identity become clear had been issued.

“Targeted killings against terrorist leaders and the ongoing arrests of wanted fugitives will continue,” one said.

HAARETZ: At least 3 dead in suicide blast at Carmel Market in Tel Aviv

A suicide bombing rocked the crowded Carmel Market in central Tel Aviv on Monday, killing at least three people and wounding dozens, at least four seriously, fire and rescue officials said.

Witnesses said the ground shook when the blast went off at 11:15 A.M. near a dairy shop close to the intersection of Rambam and Hacarmel streets. The remains of the bomber were found nearby.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for the attack. The suicide bomber was identified as Amar Alfar, 18, from Askar refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus.

Military sources said the bomber was likely to have traveled from Nablus to Jerusalem, and then on to Tel Aviv. The bomb he carried had been relatively small in size, a fire brigade commander said.

Security forces arrested two suspects a short time after the attack, Israel Radio reported.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said that at least 32 people were wounded, and were evacuated to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Wolfson Medical Center in Holon and Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer. The dead were identified as two women and a man, apparently in their 20s.

HAARETZ: Military Intelligence chief: Arafat’s death may end intifada

Military Intelligence chief Aharon Ze’evi said Sunday that he believes that there would be a chance to bring about an end to the Al Aqsa Intifada if Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat dies.
Speaking at Sunday’s cabinet meeting, Ze’evi stressed that the chairman’s death would only lead to the end of the violence that began in September 2000, and not the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Sunday that Israel would continue moving forward with the disengagement plan despite the deterioration in Yasser Arafat’s health and the possibility that he could die soon.

Sharon also said that if a new Palestinian leadership emerged and it would put forth a real effort to dismantle terror infrastructures, Israel would be willing to renew negotiations based on the road map for peace plan. But, Sharon said, “as long as there will be no partner, we will push forward with the disengagement plan that was approved by the government and the Knesset.”

Reacting to a proposal by Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz, according to which Israel would not allow Arafat to return to Ramallah in the event his health improved, Sharon said that “Israel has made a commitment to allow Arafat to return to the territories.” Sharon added, however that “so long as I am prime minister, Arafat will not be buried in Jerusalem.”

JERUSALEM POST: French terror victims seek Arafat criminal probe

The families of French victims of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas in Israel plan to ask judicial authorities to question Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, attorney Michel Calvo said Friday.

Calvo, who represents the victims’ families, said they would present their request to France’s chief anti-terror judge, Jean-Louis Bruguiere. They base their claim on “murders in connection with a terrorist enterprise,” Calvo told reporters in Paris.

Arafat will be treated at a military hospital just outside Paris for a still-undisclosed ailment.

“In the next few days, we are going to ask Judge Bruguiere to question Mr. Arafat, as soon as his physical condition allows it,” the attorney added.

JERUSALEM POST: Two Hamas fugitives killed in Kalkilya

IDF soldiers shot and kill two senior Hamas fugitive in Kalkilya Thursday evening.

Ibrahim Isaa, who is also a member of Fatah’s Tanzim, was planning to launch a series of suicide attacks in Israel, including a car bomb attack. Issa was also involved in a numerous attempts to attack soldiers manning the built sections of the West Bank security fence.

Soldiers from an elite IDF unit killed Issa and his deputy in an exchange of fire with the two terrorists, who refused to surrender. A third gunmen managed to flee.

JERUSALEM POST: Would-be-suicide bomber, 16, arrested near Nablus

IDF troops operating in the Ein Beit Ilma refugee camp northeast of Nablus arrested overnight Wednesday two fugitives who planned to launch suicide bomb attacks on Israel.

According to officials, 16-year-old Miyoub Marouf, a member of the Fatah, was on the verge of launching an attack when soldiers of the Charuv Battalion arrested him.

The second fugitive arrested in the camp, Ali Abu al-Ghoub, admitted to security officials that he was also prepared to carry out a suicide bomb attack.

Security forces arrested a total of nine Palestinian fugitives in raids in the Nablus and Bethlehem areas.

JERUSALEM POST: PA calls on Hamas to halt Kassam attacks

For the first time in three years, the Palestinian Authority on Wednesday called on Hamas to halt its rocket attacks on Israel.

The appeal came as Hamas marked the third anniversary of the launching of the first Kassam rocket on a settlement in the Gaza Strip.

“We must have the courage to admit that the firing of mortars and rockets is not only a mistake, but a sin because they could harm civilians,” said the editor of the PA’s official news agency Wafa.

PA officials have in the past made indirect calls for halting the firing of rockets by arguing that such methods harm the national interests of the Palestinians and give Israel an excuse to launch military operations in the Gaza Strip.

A senior PA official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post that the decision to publicly call on Hamas to stop the rocket attacks was the result of increased complaints by Palestinians living in areas where the IDF carried out military operations in recent weeks.

“Israel is using the rocket attacks as an excuse to escalate its aggression against our people,” he explained. “We are under pressure to stop the rockets because dozens of families have lost their homes.”

However, Hamas responded by vowing to step up the rocket attacks and develop more sophisticated weapons.

HAARETZ: Two militants killed in IDF Gaza missile strike

An Israeli aircraft launched two missiles Sunday at a group of Palestinian militants gathered outside a house in the southern Gaza Strip town of Khan Yunis, killing two militants and wounding five other people, including four bystanders, Palestinian security officials said.

The attack early Sunday morning came as Palestinians were heading to mosques for morning prayers during the holy month of Ramadan.

The missile appeared aimed at militants from the Islamic Jihad group who had gathered outside, Palestinian security officials said. Two militants were killed, their bodies badly burned, and a third was seriously wounded. Four civilians were also wounded, health officials said.

The IDF had no immediate comment.

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas admits to having weapons factories in Gaza

In the first admission of its kind, a senior Hamas official disclosed on Saturday that the movement has a number of factories in the Gaza Strip for manufacturing various types of weapons.

Nizar Rayyan, a Hamas leader from Jabalya refugee camp, said the factories were busy manufacturing different types of mortars and rockets to be used against Israel.

Although he is considered one of the prominent political leaders of Hamas, Rayyan was seen wearing military fatigues and armed with a rifle during the recent 17-day IDF operation against Kassam rocket squads in the northern Gaza Strip.

“Thank God, the weapons of the Hamas fighters are manufactured locally,” Rayyan said. “For several years now we have had our own weapons factories and we are working round the clock to improve the fighting capabilities of our fighters. We first made hand grenades and rocket-propelled RPGs, mortar rockets and their launchers, and then Kassam and Yassin rockets.”

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas kills suspected collaborator in Gaza

The bullet-riddled body of a Palestinian was found near a dumpster in a Gaza City street Saturday, and Hamas said it killed the man on suspicion he provided information that helped Israel to assassinate the group’s founder and nine others.

Hassan Musallam, in his 20s, had been missing from his home for several days. He was shot dead two days after Israel killed the deputy chief of the Hamas military wing, Adnan al-Ghoul, in an air strike. The secretive Al-Ghoul, a top bomb maker and weapons engineer, had been on Israel’s most-wanted list since 1990.

Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri said the killing of the suspected informer was meant as a warning to others. Those who come forward and repent during the current holy month of Ramadan would not be harmed physically, al-Masri said.

The Hamas military wing, Izzaddin Kassam, said Musallam was interrogated and “provided us with information and details about the way he assisted the Zionist enemy in carrying out the crimes of assassination.”

JERUSALEM POST: Kassam falls in garden of Sderot home

A Kassam rocket fell in a garden of a house in Sderot Friday afternoon causing damage to the house but injuring no one.

The rocket is the second to land on Israeli territory since the end of Operation ‘Days of Repentance’, a major IDF offensive meant to end the attacks.

JERUSALEM POST: Church group meets Hizbullah, loses meeting here

The Foreign Ministry Thursday canceled a scheduled meeting with a delegation from the American Presbyterian Church because the group met Hizbullah officials in Beirut and even had words of praise for the organization.

Gadi Golan, the head of the ministry’s religious affairs bureau, said the decision was made after the ministry was informed of the delegation’s meeting with Sheikh Nabil Qauq, a Hizbullah leader in south Lebanon.

Golan said that one of the members of the church’s Mideast fact-finding delegation, Rev. Ronald Stone, a retired social ethics professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, was quoted on Hizbullah’s Al-Manar satellite network as saying, “Relations and conversations with Islamic leaders are a lot easier than dealings and dialogue with Jewish leaders.”

He also said, “We treasure the precious words of Hizbullah and your expression of goodwill toward the American people.”

JERUSALEM POST: IAF destroys home of Gaza terrorist

An Israeli helicopter fired a missile in the northern Gaza Strip late Thursday, destroying the home of a local terrorist leader, Palestinian witnesses said.

The home belonged to a local leader of the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella group of militant organizations.

A group spokesman said the leader wasn’t home at the time. But witnesses said his family was in the house, managing to flee without any injuries.

The home was located in Beit Lahia, near the Jebaliya refugee camp.

JERUSALEM POST: IAF kills top Hamas explosives engineer

An IAF aircraft fired missiles at a vehicle traveling in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip late Thursday, killing two people and seriously wounding two others, Palestinian medical officials said.

One of those killed was Adnan Al-Ghoul, a Hamas military commander who is said to have been the terrorist group’s chief explosives engineer.

Imad al-Baas was the other Hamas terrorist killed in the strike.

A Hamas spokesman confirmed the death of its No. 2 military leader Adnan al-Ghoul in the Israeli airstrike.

Known as ‘the mechanic’ due to his expertise in bomb making, Al-Ghoul has been wanted by Israel for over ten years. He escaped several assassination attempts in the past, one of which resulted in the death of his son.

JERUSALEM POST: Explosion at the Philadelphi route near Rafah

An explosion occurred near the Hardon outpost on the Philadelphi route in Rafah, on the border between Israel and Egypt, Thursday afternoon.

Troops operating in the area were conducting maintenance work on the infrastructure along the road when they discovered a tunnel opening. When soldiers got out of their vehicles to inspect the tunnel, an explosion was heard.

IDF officials are still trying to determine whether Palestinians fired an antitank rocket at the troops or detonated a bomb near them.

JERUSALEM POST: Fatah leader: PA forces are private fiefdoms

The power struggle between rival Palestinian security services is the main reason behind the state of anarchy and lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a senior Fatah official said Wednesday.

Sakher Habash, a veteran member of the Fatah Central Committee and close aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, accused the commanders of the Palestinian security forces of running the services as if they were private fiefdoms.

He said Arafat was unable to replace the security chiefs for fear that such a move could trigger internecine fighting. “The security forces have become private fiefdoms of their commanders,” he added.

“Instead of being loyal to the Palestinian Authority, the security forces are loyal to their chiefs. President Arafat is trying to contain the situation in order to prevent a civil war.”

Habash said the main problem was that the security chiefs have been in office for many years. “These forces are responsible for the security chaos in the Palestinian territories,” he charged.

HAARETZ: Hunt on after possible terrorist infiltration from West Bank

Israeli security forces launched a manhunt Wednesday afternoon after receiving intelligence information that a Palestinian terrorist armed with an explosive device was trying to enter Israel.

The warning led to the declaration of a high alert in the Sharon region, Army Radio reported.

Due to the warning, a main highway between the West Bank and central Israel was closed to west-bound traffic from Oranit Junction to Kafr Kassem and Rosh Ha’ayin.

Police are also trying to verify the intelligence information.

HAARETZ: Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades militants seize PA ministry

A group of armed militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a militant faction of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s Fatah, seized the buildings of the Palestinian Finance ministry and Palestinian parliament in Jenin in the northern West Bank on Tuesday.

The militants are demanding that the PA pay monthly salaries and pensions to the children of those Palestinians who were killed during the intifada.

Palestinian sources say the armed men, led by Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades strongman Zakariya Zubeidi, entered the offices in central Jenin and told clerks they had “ten minutes to leave the area.” Later, they voiced their demands. The militant group has often taken over buildings belonging to the Palestinian Authority.

HAARETZ: Karine-A munitions ship commander sentenced to 25 years in jail

The Erez military court on Monday sentenced to 25 years in jail Omar Acawi, a colonel in the Palestinian Authority naval police who commanded the Karine-A, a munition ship seized by Israeli commandos in January 2002 while on its way into PA territory.

Two other crewmen caught onboard, Riad Abdallah and Ahmed Kharis, were sentenced to 17 years in jail.

The men were arrested on January 3 2002 when Israeli navy commandos stormed the munitions ship in the Red Sea on its way from Iran to the Mediterranean Sea.

The ship was loaded with tons of weapons, including 80-kilometer range rockets, 122mm mortars, anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles and explosives, all manufactured in Iran.

The three were also accused of involvement in other attempts to smuggle weapons into the PA, including in the smuggling of weapons onboard the Santorini, a ship seized by IDF froces in May 2001.

JERUSALEM POST: Report: PA thwarts attack on IDF near Nablus

Palestinian Authority security forces blew up an explosives-laden car Saturday afternoon in the Nablus area, a report on Army Radio said.

The car bomb was meant for IDF forces or other Israeli targets in the area, the report said.

Palestinians also reported several youths were wounded in clashes with IDF troops operating around Nablus.

HAARETZ: PM okays IDF plan to redeploy in Gaza

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday night accepted an Israel Defense Forces plan for redeployment in the northern Gaza Strip. This weekend troops will begin moving out of the outskirts of Jabalya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanun. The meaning of this move in practice, although it is denied officially, is an end to the current phase of Operation Days of Penitence, which over the past 17 days claimed the lives of some 100 Palestinians, many of them civilians.

Hours after Sharon’s decision, Palestinians reported that the Israel Air Force fired a missile at a group of militants in the Jabalya refugee camp early Friday morning, seriously wounding four. One man later died of his wounds, hospital officials said.

UPDATE:
One less on Al-Aqsa’s 401-k plan.

(Via Internet Haganah and LGF)

If it wasn’t obvious before, at the Official Hamas Web Site:

Hamas published a statement condemning the US and designating it as an enemy country after the US vetoed a resolution in the UN security council that would have unilaterally condemned Israeli military action against the group in the Gaza Strip.

The raids followed a series of rocket attacks on the southern town of Sderot, during which two Israeli toddlers were killed.

The United States vetoed a resolution condemning the Israeli military action against Hamas cells in the Gaza strip. U.S. Ambassador John Danforth cast the U.S. veto after British and German efforts to find compromise language failed.

“Once again, the resolution is lopsided and unbalanced,” Danforth said, noting that the resolution made no mention of the launching of rockets from the Gaza strip at Israeli towns and cities.

In a press release in Arabic on its official web, Hamas leaders said: “Hamas is condemning the U.S vote and stating that Hamas considers the U.S as an enemy and as an accomplice to the Israeli enemy aggression against the Palestinians. Hamas regards the U.S position as a criminal act that puts her in a confrontation with “weak” nations. The U.S will face responsibility for its position as an accomplice with Israel to the animosity.”

UPDATE:
Link on Hamas’ site no longer fucntions, but Internet Haganah has a copy of the statement.

JERUSALEM POST: Officials concerned over growing anarchy in PA

Palestinian officials on Thursday expressed concern at the growing state of anarchy and lawlessness in the Gaza Strip and accused the Palestinian Authority security forces of failing to carry out their duties.

In recent weeks the Gaza Strip witnessed a series of criminally motivated murders, kidnappings and armed robberies, prompting several PA officials to demand an iron-fist policy against the perpetrators.

“The situation there is intolerable,” a senior PA official in Ramallah told The Jerusalem Post. “Armed gangsters are roaming the streets freely and imposing a reign of terror on the population.”

The PA is opposed to any imposition of a reign of terror when a perfectly servicible negotiated-for and EU-funded reign of terror in the form of Arafat’s Palestinian Authority is already in place.

Something worth noting:

In the first incident, masked gunmen shot and killed Ali Abu Mahdi, 54, a senior officer with Force 17 (Yasser Arafat’s presidential guard) while he was sitting in a barber’s shop.

Mahdi was being held in a nearby security installation on charges of involvement in the killing of a local man a few months ago. The Palestinian police believe that the officer was murdered by the victim’s family to avenge his death.

Maybe if he’d have been held tighter in the security installation, he wouldn’t have gotten out to the barbershop and been killed.

JERUSALEM POST: IAF hits targets in Jabalya

An IAF aircraft fired two missiles at targets in the Jebalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip Thursday, Palestinian witnesses.

Ambulances rushed to scene but there were no immediate reports of casualties.

JERUSALEM POST: Hamas member killed in IAF attack in Beit Lahiya

An IAF aircraft fired a missile after nightfall Wednesday at a group of combatants near Beit Lahiya, a town in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, witnesses said, killing one person.

Hamas officials said he was Hassan Shakfi, 24, a member of the group.

Palestinian ambulances were on their way to the scene. Rescue workers said another Hamas member was seriously wounded.

Were they in their underwear?

HAARETZ: Head of Hamas military wing in Hebron surrenders to IDF

The head of the Hamas military wing in Hebron, Imad Kawasma, surrendered to the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday morning when troops surrounded his safe house in an arrest raid.

Kawasma is suspected of dispatching two suicide bombers in an August 31 terror attack in the southern city of Be’er Sheva that killed 16 people and wounded about 100.

The surrender of a member of Hamas’ military wing, Iz a Din al-Kassam, is quite a rare occurrence. In the last two years, the organization’s militants in Hebron and Nablus have preferred to fight to their deaths.

Apparently, Hamas has figured out that fighting to the death gets them killed. Surrendering get them across the border with hope for escape, foisting the cost of their upkeep on Israel, etc.

HAARETZ: IDF admits Qassam was not transported in UN ambulance

The Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman admitted Tuesday that the IDF was wrong to accuse the UNRWA of using its ambulances to transport Qassam rockets.

“It is obvious today, after all the inquiries made into the question, that it wasn?t a Qassam rocket,” she said.

This statement comes several days after the IDF removed from its internet site footage taken by an unmanned plane in the Jabalya refugee in the Gaza Strip, showing what the IDF said was a homemade rocket being loaded onto an ambulance..

Officials in the IDF are now admitting that the object does indeed appear to be a stretcher.

HAARETZ: Explosion reported near convoy of Palestinian security chief

A huge explosion rocked Gaza City Tuesday evening, and witnesses said the blast went off near Palestinian security headquarters as security chief Moussa Arafat’s convoy was leaving.

There was no immediate word on whether Arafat was injured.

Arafat, is a relative of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. His appointment as overall commander of Gaza security in July was torpedoed by riots and demonstrations in Gaza, as residents complained that Moussa Arafat was involved in corruption and was known for his cruelty.

Yasser Arafat reinstated the security official his relative was to have replaced, but kept Moussa Arafat in a senior position.

The Israeli military had no comment on the blast.

Too busy laughing, right?

HAARETZ: New Qassam warning system goes into operation

The new early warning system against Qassams launched from Gaza toward Sderot goes into operation Tuesday, with each incoming Qassam to trigger an announcement over town loudspeakers so residents can either rush to get indoors or, if that is impossible, to crouch.

The loudspeakers will broadcast the slogan “Red Dawn” instead of sounding a siren. The Home Front conducted a test of the loudspeaker system, which was upgraded for the “Red Dawn” alerts. Home Front soldiers were deployed throughout the Negev town to listen for the announcement, to make sure it could be heard everywhere.

The system will also operate at Kibbutz Nir Am and at Sapir College, which have also suffered from Qassam rockets attacks.

The “Red Dawn” alert is said to provide a 20- to 30-second advance warning after a Qassam launch.

JERUSALEM POST: Mother of 7 gets 35 years for smuggling bomb-belt

Latifa Abu Diran, 40, a mother of seven from the Balata refugee camp was sentenced by the Samaria military court to 35 years for her role in transporting an explosives belt that was to have been used in a suicide bomb attack in Rosh Ha’ayin on behalf of the Fatah Al Aksa Birgades in Nablus.

Details of the sentencing, which took place on Sunday, were released by the army on Monday.

Abu Diran had agreed to transfer the explosives belt noting that she would not be suspect to searches by soldiers manning the roadblocks.

Arrested by security forces last December in her home, the potential suicide bomber and transporter were also arrested the same night after they failed to carry out the attack because of the presence of security forces in the area.

Abu Diran after meeting with members of the Fatah Al Aksa Brigades who planned to attack and recruited the suicide bomber agreed to smuggle the explosives belt to a meeting point near Kafr Kassem from where the suicide bomber and transporter were to continue until Rosh Ha’ayin.

Abu Diran hid the belt under her dress but because of the bulge was instructed to carry it in a black bag. Once reaching the appointed destination she assisted the suicide bomber to put on the belt and then left and returned to her home.

JERUSALEM POST: Report: IAF targets Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza

A few missiles fired from a helicopter or unmanned drone targeted the house of senior Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed Sheikh Khalil in the Rafah refugee camp Monday afternoon.

Reports are conflicting regarding whether Khalil was wounded or killed in the attack. Some Palestinian sources have alternately reported that Khalil escaped the attack altogether, while his two brothers who were in the house at the time of the attack were hit and wounded.

The blasts wounded five people, two critically, hospital officials said.

Islamic Jihad leaders that Khalil was not home at the time of the strike.

“Sheikh Khalil is in good shape … and he will remain a thorn in the throat of the Jews and will teach them a lesson as he has done before,” said local Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Abdel Rahman.

JERUSALEM POST: Ya’alon: Terrorists used girl as lure for snipers

The 13-year-old Palestinian girl, Imam al-Hamas, killed last week near an IDF outpost on the Philadelphi route near Rafah, was most likely a lure to get IDF soldiers out of the outpost and into the range of Palestinian sniper fire, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya’alon told the cabinet Sunday.

Ya’alon briefed the cabinet on the findings of an inquiry he headed into the killing of the girl. Palestinians said after the incident that her body was riddled with 20 bullets.

According to Ya’alon, Hamas walked from the Tel Sultan neighborhood in Rafah toward the outpost. “There is no reason for any Palestinian to walk in that direction, and no one does,” Ya’alon said.

Asked by one of the ministers if it is possible she was walking to school, Ya’alon said that it is completely unreasonable for her to have walked to school in that direction.

Ya’alon said that the IDF soldiers in the outpost, who have express orders not to leave the outpost because of the danger of sniper fire, saw her walking in their direction and thought that she was either carrying or bomb, or was trying to lure them out.

Ya’alon said that the investigation showed that the soldiers fired into the air, but when the girl kept walking and then tossed her backpack, which turned out to be full of books, they fired on her.

Ya’alon said that the IDF fire was met by sniper fire from the area. He also said that there was sniper fire in the area before the incident as well.

On my own site, I had posted an imaginary conversation between this 13 year-old Palestinian girl and a group of Hamas snipers where they told her to run into the allery and throw her bookback and run back or they’d rape and shoot her. It was deemed so offensive that I did the unthinkable… I pulled it down.