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Abbas threatens to quit
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat faced a latenight ultimatum from his Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas early Thursday to approve an unprecedented clampdown on militant groups. A senior Israeli security source confirmed the target of the midday missile strike was Ismail Abu Shanab of Hamas. Fifteen bystanders were wounded, including several children, hospital officials said.
| ... and puppies and kittens and baby ducks. Don't forget them... |
Palestinian witnesses said Israeli tanks and forces entered Jenin and left before dawn, and were conducting searches in the old city and western part of Nablus. Soldiers arrested at least 14 Palestinians in and around Nablus during the night, including a Hamas member caught with a large quantity of explosives. Six others were arrested in the Jenin area Wednesday night. Two Palestinian brothers, both in their mid teens, were shot dead early Thursday during a firefight between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops in Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern West Bank, Palestinian medical sources said.
Following an emergency cabinet meeting in Gaza late Wednesday, Abbas went to meet with Arafat to seek approval for a crackdown on Palestinian militant groups. âAbu Mazen (Abbasâs nom-de-guerre) will present Arafat and the Palestinian leadership with four demands,â a senior Palestinian official said on condition of anonymity ahead of the talks in Ramallah. âIf they donât get Arafatâs support, the cabinet will resign.â
| Resign and be damned. I'll believe in their good faith when the Paleocoppers are bumping off Hamas and IJ thugs daily... |
Meanwhile, the Israeli security cabinet decided early Thursday to authorise a series of military steps against the radical Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, Israel army radio reported. US Secretary of State Colin Powell insisted Thursday that escalating Middle East violence would not halt the US-led âroad mapâ peace bid and called for renewed pressure on radical Palestinian groups to end their attacks. The White House urged Israel on Thursday to work with the Palestinian Authority to crack down on terrorism.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-08-22 |
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