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Israel says no grace period for Abbas to move against militants
| I think they might mean something "Now or never." My money's on "never." |
 JERUSALEM: Israel will not accord new Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas any 'grace period' and expects him to institute an immediate crackdown on armed militants, a source close Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday. "Abbas must fight against terrorism and deploy his forces to try to stop the firing of Qassam rockets and mortars," the source told AFP on condition of anonymity. "Israel will not grant him any grace period to carry this out," the source added.
| Firing rockets and mortars at people is usually considered an act of war. Either knock off with the war or expect a two-sided war. That sounds pretty fair to me... |
Sharon told the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that he had the army carte blanche to crush militants in the Gaza Strip who regularly fire rockets and mortars at settlements and southern Israel. The Israeli town of Sderot, a regular target of the rocket attacks, was staging a one-day general strike Monday to highlight their plight. Three Sderot residents were also among the six victims of an attack on a Gaza border crossing on Thursday night which prompted Sharon to order a freeze on all contacts with the Palestinian Authority until further notice. "Our forces will continue to operate day and night, without any time limit, to put a stop to these attacks," the source added. "Abbas must take action and not content himself with mere words: he must use the forces that he has at his disposal in order to prevent the firing of Qassams and mortars," the official added. "Until now, he has not even lifted a finger... "
Posted by: Fred 2005-01-18 |
