In contrast, Fatah called on Palestinians to assist the Palestinian Authority in restraining would-be attackers, especially Muslim extremists who have been firing increasing numbers of Kassem missiles and mortars from Gaza into Israel, causing little damage, but inflaming Israeli sentiment against Palestinians. WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, called on Palestinians to stop those who endanger public safety by launching futile attacks. "Is it worthy to shoot a mortar that never hits" its target and whose firing causes the destruction of Palestinians' houses and farms? WAFA asked. "These operations . . . are ineffective, like the suicide attacks against civilians. They put us down and mobilize the international opinion against us." Ahmed Qurei, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, also roiled the political waters, stating in the Jerusalem newspaper Al Quds: "We should clarify our mistakes. We should do reassessment for our political regime. We should take steps on the ground to increase our credibility. Not only through blood can we achieve our goals."
www.sfgate.com Return to regular viewWest Bank militants hit Israeli base Nablus shut down after fatal attack Charles A. Radin, Boston Globe Friday, February 7, 2003 ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle| Feedback
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/07/MN90487.DTL
Nablus, West Bank-- Israel clamped a tight closure on this largest Palestinian city of the northern West Bank on Thursday after militants from Nablus attacked an army base in a commandeered resort hotel on neighboring Mount Gerizim, killing two Israeli soldiers and wounding several others. Long
lines of angry Palestinians waited fruitlessly throughout the day at exits from the city, while Israeli troops searched for the support staff of the two attackers, who were killed as they attempted to enter the base. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is linked to Palestinian Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine jointly claimed responsibility for the attack, which Fatah announced was directed against the army, in line with its new policy of not attacking Israeli civilians. But there were signs of growing dissension among and within the Palestinian factions. Despite the declaration of the policy against attacking civilians, the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades distributed a leaflet Thursday threatening a "martyrdom attack" against Palestinian Interior Minister Hani al Hasan if he tries to enter Nablus. Hasan, the leaflet said, "betrayed the blood of our Fatah martyrs" by criticizing the double suicide bombings that killed 23 people in Tel Aviv on Jan. 5. The leaflet also threatened other critics of the Tel Aviv terror attack. In contrast, Fatah called on Palestinians to assist the Palestinian Authority in restraining would-be attackers, especially Muslim extremists who have been firing increasing numbers of Kassem missiles and mortars from Gaza into Israel, causing little damage, but inflaming Israeli sentiment against Palestinians. WAFA, the official Palestinian news agency, called on Palestinians to stop those who endanger public safety by launching futile attacks. "Is it worthy to shoot a mortar that never hits" its target and whose firing causes the destruction of Palestinians' houses and farms? WAFA asked. "These operations . . . are ineffective, like the suicide attacks against civilians. They put us down and mobilize the international opinion against us." Ahmed Qurei, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, also roiled the political waters, stating in the Jerusalem newspaper Al Quds: "We should clarify our mistakes. We should do reassessment for our political regime. We should take steps on the ground to increase our credibility. Not only through blood can we achieve our goals." The remarks were a clear challenge to Arafat's record, but the motivation behind them was dismissed by critics of Arafat and of his close associates. Hussam Khader, a member of the council, said Qurei "is trying to market himself, as he realized that the days of Arafat are numbered." Palestinian sources said tensions were rising sharply among Palestinian leaders as new finance and security officials try to curb the webs of political and financial patronage on which Arafat built his power. The sources said that numerous Palestinian organizations have recently begun seeking funding from Jordan because of the new limitations on Arafat's ability to provide the organizations with cash. "If he has no money, his system will collapse," Khader said. In other developments Thursday, two other Palestinians were killed, one after he stabbed a border police officer and another when he ignored an order to halt in an area where border police were conducting searches after reports of a suicide bomber trying to make his way into Israel. ©2003 San Francisco Chronicle| Feedback Page A - 10
-- Michael Pugliese
"Without knowing that we knew nothing, we went on talking without listening to
each other. Sometimes we flattered and praised each other, understanding that
we would be flattered and praised in return. Other times we abused and shouted
at each other, as if we were in a madhouse." -Tolstoy