[IsraelTimes] Terror organization insists Ramadan Shalah, who underwent surgery in Leb recently, is ill due to 'natural causes'Ramadan Shalah, the secretary-general of the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
terror group, has reportedly been in a coma for the past few weeks amid fears that he may have been poisoned.
On Tuesday, however, the group denied that Shalah had been the target of an liquidation attempt, saying his illness was the result of "natural causes."
"Shalah is suffering from a natural illness and we wish him speedy recovery," said Ahmed Al Mudalal, a senior Islamic Jihad official. He did not say what Shalah was suffering from. Also, he would neither confirm nor deny the reports stating Shalah was in a coma.
Shalah, 60, was transferred from Damascus, where he lives, to a hospital in Beirut after suffering a series of heart attacks, a source close to the group told the Paleostinian Quds Press news agency.
Shalah has been unconscious since undergoing surgery at the Beirut hospital, the report said.
The Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group, which is based in Leb, has "shown great interest" in the health condition of Shalah, it said.
| No doubt. |
The man in charge of security at the embassy sent a report to the PA General Intelligence Service in the West Bank in which he raised the possibility that Shalah had been poisoned, the news agency said, quoting an unnamed source in the PA’s ruling Fatah faction.
That report, according to the news agency, said that two parties may have been behind the alleged poisoning: the Israeli Mossad or a security agency "belonging to a regional country." The report did not name the country.
Shalah, who was born in the Gazoo Strip, was appointed head of the terror group after the liquidation of his predecessor, Fathi Shikaki, in 2005 in Malta.
Closely allied with Iran and Syria, Islamic Jihad is an offshoot of the Moslem Brüderbund that was formed in Gazoo in 1981. Active in both Gazoo and the West Bank, it seeks the destruction of Israel and has carried out numerous bombings and suicide kabooms on Israeli targets, and fired rockets into Israel from Gazoo.
| Other sources have a different take on the situation: |
[Ynet] Ramadan Shalah, the secretary-general of the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad, reportedly had to undergo surgery to save his life; Islamic Jihad denies reports there was an attempt on his life, saying he merely suffering from 'natural illness.'
Paleostinian Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah has reportedly suffered a massive stroke and had to undergo surgery in an attempt to save his life, according to Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-affiliated media reports Tuesday.
According to the reports, which have not been confirmed, Shalah will not be able to fully return to work.
Shalah, who is normally located in Syria, is reportedly currently in Leb.
Islamic Jihad officials said the terror group's leadership has already begun thinking of holding elections to find a replacement for Shalah, in case he is unable to resume his duties.
Shalah has been the Paleostinian Islamic Jihad's secretary-general since 1995, after the liquidation of Fathi Shaqaqi. He was one of the terror group's founders and in the organization's early days he also edited the movement's journal.
He spent most of his years at the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus, commanding over terror attacks and rocket fire launched at Israel.
The 60-year-old Paleostinian terrorist, who was born in Gazoo, is on the FBI's Most Wanted list, with the prize on his head set at $5 million.
He has a doctorate from a British university and has worked as a lecturer for international relations in Florida.
| Bottom line: Islamic Jihad’s Number One is permanently out of commission, and the leadership do not want to have to go after anyone until they’ve replaced him — and maybe not thereafter. Well done, someone! |