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PA rejects claim of al-Qaeda in Gaza
 The Palestinian Authority rejected on Thursday a report from Israeli intelligence that foreign Islamists suspected of links to al-Qaeda had slipped into the Gaza Strip after Israel withdrew last month. Israel's military intelligence chief said this week that around 10 "global jihad operatives" entered Gaza during chaos at the border with Egypt following Israel's troop pullout to end 38 years of military rule. The border was later sealed. The Palestinian Interior Ministry said its investigations showed that the Israeli report was untrue. A spokesman accused Israel of trying to undermine President Mahmoud Abbas's White House meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush later on Thursday. "The ongoing investigations of the Palestinian security services confirm that no al-Qaeda members had entered the Gaza Strip. Al-Qaeda does not exist in Gaza," said Tawfiq Abu Khoussa. Gaza is widely seen as a testing ground for the statehood that Palestinians also seek in the occupied West Bank. A proven al-Qaeda presence could embarrass Abbas, whose forces are already struggling to cope with a plethora of local factions. While Palestinian Islamic militants share al Qaeda's hatred of the Jewish state and also use suicide tactics, experts say doctrinal differences preclude cooperation between the groups.| Yep. Doctrinal diff'rences. That'll keep 'em apart, yah sure youbetcha. Where do they get these experts? |
Posted by: Dan Darling 2005-10-20 |
