Fatah Issues New Threats to Israelis
In separate statements circulating on Monday, militants in the main PLO faction Fatah threatened to “turn the lives of all the settlers into a living hell†and to kill Israeli reporters covering stories in Bethlehem.
Fatah and other Palestinian groups vowed to continue and escalate the intifada, calling for all Palestinians to participate in a “day of rage” Tuesday and another on Friday to oppose the election of Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. A leaflet from the Fatah leadership warned: “Despite Ariel Sharon’s promise, his term of office will not be stable. The Fatah will continue to strike at Gilo and will turn the lives of all the settlers into a living hell.”
“The Sharon era will not be stable and secure, as the criminal Sharon promised,” said a Fatah leaflet. “Our goal is to bring down Sharon and all his settlements.” Various Israeli security analysts debated whether PLO chief Yasser Arafat had given his blessing to Fatah threats or whether he had no control over renegade Palestinian elements.
“Palestinian Authority forces are in complete control of the situation in the territories,” assured Jibril Rajoub, the PA security kingpin in Jericho.
Islamic Jihad and Hamas leaders have also called upon Palestinians to declare this coming Tuesday and Wednesday as special “Days of Rage,” in protest of the continuing Israeli occupation. GSS head Avi Dichter said yesterday that there are “hot warnings” of terrorist attacks by Hamas, Tanzim, and Islamic Jihad. Dichter said that fortune has smiled of late on Israel, with a number of terror attacks foiled “by our hands and by He who sits on high.”
Meanwhile, the Fatah leadership in Bethlehem said in a statement released this morning, “Any Israeli entering the city will not get out alive.” The death threat came after newscasters on Israel’s ARMY RADIO reported an internal Fatah flyer has accused the leadership of the organization of corruption.
This afternoon, Palestinian Authority Information Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the PA disassociated itself from the Fatah death threat. “Threats of this nature are unacceptable to the PA and steps will be taken against the perpetrators,” Rabbo said. “We will not allow anything to interfere with journalists working in our areas.”
Used with Permission from International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.