august 25 PA decries 'Israeli crime' in Tulkarm
PA decries 'Israeli crime' in Tulkarm
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khaled abu toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 26, 2005
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The Palestinian Authority on Thursday condemned the killing of five Palestinians by the IDF in Tulkarm late on Wednesday night, saying Israel would have to bear the consequences of the operation.
Several armed groups threatened to resume their attacks on Israel in response to the killings.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said the Israeli "despicable crime" was in the context of continued attempts by Israel to destroy the unofficial truce and the peace process.
"This is happening at a time when the Palestinian Authority is trying to preserve the period of calm and abide by agreements reached with Israel," Abbas said in a statement. "Israel is seeking to escalate tensions and explode the situation to avoid fulfilling its commitments."
Abbas said Israel would have to bear the consequences of its "destructive policy toward the truce and the peace process."
PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told reporters in Ramallah that the killings showed Israel was not interested in maintaining the calm. "This is a brutal operation," he said. "Israel is continuing to perpetrate crimes, including the construction of the racist separation wall and settlements, especially in Jerusalem and its surroundings." Qurei said the situation was now "extremely dangerous" and called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt its settlement policy.
"We can no longer remain silent," he added. "Israel's actions make it impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state and don't offer any hope for peace. Jerusalem is a red line for all Palestinians that should not be crossed. Our people can't celebrate and dance in the Gaza Strip while Jerusalem and the West Bank are weeping."
PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the Tulkarm operation as a "massacre," saying it would destroy all efforts to revive the peace process. "The presence of the Israeli army in Tulkarm is in violation of agreements and understandings reached with the Palestinian Authority," he said.
"They had handed over Tulkarm [to the PA] and said that they would stop the violence against Palestinians everywhere. Three of the martyrs were wanted by Israel and had been recruited to the Palestinian security forces in line with understandings reached recently with Israel."
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other armed groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip threatened to retaliate for the five Palestinians killed in Tulkarm.
"All options are open for the Palestinian resistance to teach the Zionist enemy a harsh lesson in response to this crime," said Mushir al-Masri, a spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "The Israeli enemy is risking the lives of its soldiers and settlers after committing this crime. This cowardly attack shows how bloody this enemy is."
Islamic Jihad representative Nafez Azzam said the incident in Tulkarm showed that Israel has not changed its policies after disengagement. "Israel does not care about the efforts made to achieve calm," he said. "Israel is determined to pursue its aggression on our people. The resistance option remains the main choice for Islamic Jihad."
Another Jihad leader in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad al-Hindi, said the Israeli operation would not pass unpunished. "The Palestinian people are capable of responding to the crimes that are being committed against them," he said. "The resistance groups will find the right time and place to retaliate."
A number of Fatah militias also called for resuming attacks on Israel. The Aksa Martyrs Brigades called in leaflets distributed in the West Bank for a response that would lead to an "earthquake" in Israel.
"We call on all the fighters from all the groups to respond in a way that would create an earthquake in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Jerusalem," the group said. "The resistance is the only way left to humiliate this enemy. Our message to [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon is that we are coming."
The Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of armed groups dominated by Fatah, announced that its members would resume rocket attacks on Israel. The announcement came shortly after the group claimed responsibility for the firing of a Kassam rocket at Sderot.
Ribhi Amarah, a top Islamic Jihad fugitive who was the target of the IDF raid, said on Thursday that he managed to escape unharmed from the scene. He lashed out at the PA and its security forces for failing to crack down on Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel.
"The Palestinian Authority and its security forces are responsible for this crime because they're not chasing the collaborators and traitors and wiping them out," he said after the funeral of the five Palestinians. "We will not forget the blood of our martyrs and we will respond quickly."
The United States urged restraint from Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "We always denounce any violence and we urge both sides to exercise calm," said White House spokesman Trent Duffy, speaking from Crawford, Texas, where US President George W. Bush was vacationing.
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khaled abu toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST Aug. 26, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Palestinian Authority on Thursday condemned the killing of five Palestinians by the IDF in Tulkarm late on Wednesday night, saying Israel would have to bear the consequences of the operation.
Several armed groups threatened to resume their attacks on Israel in response to the killings.
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said the Israeli "despicable crime" was in the context of continued attempts by Israel to destroy the unofficial truce and the peace process.
"This is happening at a time when the Palestinian Authority is trying to preserve the period of calm and abide by agreements reached with Israel," Abbas said in a statement. "Israel is seeking to escalate tensions and explode the situation to avoid fulfilling its commitments."
Abbas said Israel would have to bear the consequences of its "destructive policy toward the truce and the peace process."
PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei told reporters in Ramallah that the killings showed Israel was not interested in maintaining the calm. "This is a brutal operation," he said. "Israel is continuing to perpetrate crimes, including the construction of the racist separation wall and settlements, especially in Jerusalem and its surroundings." Qurei said the situation was now "extremely dangerous" and called on the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt its settlement policy.
"We can no longer remain silent," he added. "Israel's actions make it impossible to establish a viable Palestinian state and don't offer any hope for peace. Jerusalem is a red line for all Palestinians that should not be crossed. Our people can't celebrate and dance in the Gaza Strip while Jerusalem and the West Bank are weeping."
PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat condemned the Tulkarm operation as a "massacre," saying it would destroy all efforts to revive the peace process. "The presence of the Israeli army in Tulkarm is in violation of agreements and understandings reached with the Palestinian Authority," he said.
"They had handed over Tulkarm [to the PA] and said that they would stop the violence against Palestinians everywhere. Three of the martyrs were wanted by Israel and had been recruited to the Palestinian security forces in line with understandings reached recently with Israel."
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other armed groups in the West Bank and Gaza Strip threatened to retaliate for the five Palestinians killed in Tulkarm.
"All options are open for the Palestinian resistance to teach the Zionist enemy a harsh lesson in response to this crime," said Mushir al-Masri, a spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "The Israeli enemy is risking the lives of its soldiers and settlers after committing this crime. This cowardly attack shows how bloody this enemy is."
Islamic Jihad representative Nafez Azzam said the incident in Tulkarm showed that Israel has not changed its policies after disengagement. "Israel does not care about the efforts made to achieve calm," he said. "Israel is determined to pursue its aggression on our people. The resistance option remains the main choice for Islamic Jihad."
Another Jihad leader in the Gaza Strip, Muhammad al-Hindi, said the Israeli operation would not pass unpunished. "The Palestinian people are capable of responding to the crimes that are being committed against them," he said. "The resistance groups will find the right time and place to retaliate."
A number of Fatah militias also called for resuming attacks on Israel. The Aksa Martyrs Brigades called in leaflets distributed in the West Bank for a response that would lead to an "earthquake" in Israel.
"We call on all the fighters from all the groups to respond in a way that would create an earthquake in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Jerusalem," the group said. "The resistance is the only way left to humiliate this enemy. Our message to [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon is that we are coming."
The Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of armed groups dominated by Fatah, announced that its members would resume rocket attacks on Israel. The announcement came shortly after the group claimed responsibility for the firing of a Kassam rocket at Sderot.
Ribhi Amarah, a top Islamic Jihad fugitive who was the target of the IDF raid, said on Thursday that he managed to escape unharmed from the scene. He lashed out at the PA and its security forces for failing to crack down on Palestinians suspected of collaboration with Israel.
"The Palestinian Authority and its security forces are responsible for this crime because they're not chasing the collaborators and traitors and wiping them out," he said after the funeral of the five Palestinians. "We will not forget the blood of our martyrs and we will respond quickly."
The United States urged restraint from Israel and the Palestinian Authority. "We always denounce any violence and we urge both sides to exercise calm," said White House spokesman Trent Duffy, speaking from Crawford, Texas, where US President George W. Bush was vacationing.
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This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1124938376883&p=1078027574097
[ Back to the Article ]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1995-2005 The Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com/
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