The same day that Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah group signed onto a joint platform with Hamas, Fatah’s Al Aksa Brigades group fired five Kassam rockets toward Israeli towns in the western Negev.
The Al Aksa Brigades Fatah terror group said the five rockets it launched Thursday were aimed at Ashkelon, Sderot and the resettled community of Elei Sinai, whose residents were expelled by the government from northern Gaza almost two years ago.
The IDF said it had no knowledge of the attacks.
Egyptian police captured a would-be suicide bomber in the Sinai Peninsula. The would-be bomber, Gaza resident Hamid Al-Nadur, had a suicide belt with him and admitted that he planned to attack Israelis. It is not yet known whether Al-Nadur planned to attack Israelis in Sinai or to infiltrate Israel and attack there.
Along with Al-Nadur, police arrested an Egyptian man suspected of assisting him. Nine Egyptian residents of Rafiah suspected of membership in an armed terrorist cell were arrested as well.
Both Attacks Legal According to PA Platform
The move does not violate the policy statement, which seems to commit Fatah to respecting the right to use terrorism against Israel rather than the commitment by Hamas to eschew terror hoped for by the so-called Quartet of nations. "Our people have the right to defend themselves before any Israeli aggression," the platform reads.
The platform also says that such attacks will be launched until the conditions of surrender outlined here are met:
* “The right of return of Palestinian refugees"
* “Ending all forms of occupation in the Palestinian territories, including removing the racist wall, settlements and stopping the Judaization of Jerusalem."
* Concerning the Gaza ceasefire, which has been broken more than 150 times by Arab terrorists since it was announced in late November: It will be maintained "in return for Israel's cessation of its occupation measures...such as assassinations, arrests, incursions, house demolition, clearing of lands, excavation in Jerusalem [and] lifting of checkpoints and reopening of crossing points, the ending of travel restrictions and the release of prisoners".
Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman called the new political platform of the Palestinian Authority a declaration of war Thursday night.
Lieberman said that the goal of the new PA leadership is clearly the destruction of Israel and that Israel is now obliged to cut off ties with PA chief and Fatah chairman Mahmoud Abbas. “The PA is now clearly run by Hamas,” he said, “and Abbas is trying to get international approval for Hamas terrorism.” Lieberman said that Israel must form a national emergency government of all Zionist parties and that he would advance the move at the next Knesset session.
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union /NRP) said that the platform shows a united Arab decision to continue with terrorism until Israel is destroyed.
MK Silvan Shalom (Likud) said the new joint control of the PA is a ploy to obtain international acceptance and blamed the government for failing to maintain an international boycott of the PA.
Meretz Chairman MK Yossi Beilin hailed the joint platform as an opportunity for negotiations with the PA.
MK Ran Cohen (Meretz) said the government is obligated to renew negotiations in order to prove that Israel truly wants peace.
France agrees with Meretz and intends to support the new PA government, according to incoming PA Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr, who says French Foreign Minister Phillipe Douste-Blazy invited him to a Paris meeting to begin "a new page in the relations between the Hamas government and the international community."
The United States is withholding judgment on the new Hamas-Fatah unity government “until its policies become clearer,” according to State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack. He said the US would continue to work with Abbas, regardless of the decision.
White House spokesman Tony Snow reiterated that the Bush administration will only recognize the new PA government if it recognizes Israel, renounces violence and accepts existing agreements.
Schools Nationwide Prepare For Missile Attacks
Schools nationwide held drills on Thursday to practice for an enemy attack. Students practiced running into bomb shelters and remaining calm. The exercise gave teachers a chance to check preparedness, both of the students and of the bomb shelters.
While school would be cancelled in case of a nationwide attack, the exercise prepared students and teachers for the time between the beginning of an attack and the cancellation of classes. During the war with Hizbullah last summer, students in many schools and universities were caught off guard by rocket fire, and did not know where to find shelter.
Third Intifada
Two rock attacks took place in the Shomron region on Thursday night. In the first attack, Arabs threw stones at Israelis who were driving north of Ramallah. The second attack took place east of Kalkilya.
No injuries were reported in either attack. Two cars were damaged.
Arab terrorists opened fire on a group of soldiers in Shechem on Thursday night. No soldiers were injured in the attack.
A PA Arab man was killed after when a smuggling tunnel between Rafah and Egypt collapsed, according to PA reports. Two men were injured in the collapse.
IDF soldiers arrested nine wanted terrorists from the Hamas and PFLP terror groups Thursday night. Four were caught in a village northwest of Ramallah and one was nabbed southwest of Bethlehem. Four others were arrested west of Hevron.
The arrests, according to the new PA platform, are a violation of the cease-fire and are grounds for a PA counter-attack.
The Al Aksa Brigades Fatah terror group said the five rockets it launched Thursday were aimed at Ashkelon, Sderot and the resettled community of Elei Sinai, whose residents were expelled by the government from northern Gaza almost two years ago.
The IDF said it had no knowledge of the attacks.
Egyptian police captured a would-be suicide bomber in the Sinai Peninsula. The would-be bomber, Gaza resident Hamid Al-Nadur, had a suicide belt with him and admitted that he planned to attack Israelis. It is not yet known whether Al-Nadur planned to attack Israelis in Sinai or to infiltrate Israel and attack there.
Along with Al-Nadur, police arrested an Egyptian man suspected of assisting him. Nine Egyptian residents of Rafiah suspected of membership in an armed terrorist cell were arrested as well.
Both Attacks Legal According to PA Platform
The move does not violate the policy statement, which seems to commit Fatah to respecting the right to use terrorism against Israel rather than the commitment by Hamas to eschew terror hoped for by the so-called Quartet of nations. "Our people have the right to defend themselves before any Israeli aggression," the platform reads.
The platform also says that such attacks will be launched until the conditions of surrender outlined here are met:
* “The right of return of Palestinian refugees"
* “Ending all forms of occupation in the Palestinian territories, including removing the racist wall, settlements and stopping the Judaization of Jerusalem."
* Concerning the Gaza ceasefire, which has been broken more than 150 times by Arab terrorists since it was announced in late November: It will be maintained "in return for Israel's cessation of its occupation measures...such as assassinations, arrests, incursions, house demolition, clearing of lands, excavation in Jerusalem [and] lifting of checkpoints and reopening of crossing points, the ending of travel restrictions and the release of prisoners".
Minister of Strategic Affairs Avigdor Lieberman called the new political platform of the Palestinian Authority a declaration of war Thursday night.
Lieberman said that the goal of the new PA leadership is clearly the destruction of Israel and that Israel is now obliged to cut off ties with PA chief and Fatah chairman Mahmoud Abbas. “The PA is now clearly run by Hamas,” he said, “and Abbas is trying to get international approval for Hamas terrorism.” Lieberman said that Israel must form a national emergency government of all Zionist parties and that he would advance the move at the next Knesset session.
MK Zevulun Orlev (National Union /NRP) said that the platform shows a united Arab decision to continue with terrorism until Israel is destroyed.
MK Silvan Shalom (Likud) said the new joint control of the PA is a ploy to obtain international acceptance and blamed the government for failing to maintain an international boycott of the PA.
Meretz Chairman MK Yossi Beilin hailed the joint platform as an opportunity for negotiations with the PA.
MK Ran Cohen (Meretz) said the government is obligated to renew negotiations in order to prove that Israel truly wants peace.
France agrees with Meretz and intends to support the new PA government, according to incoming PA Foreign Minister Ziad Abu Amr, who says French Foreign Minister Phillipe Douste-Blazy invited him to a Paris meeting to begin "a new page in the relations between the Hamas government and the international community."
The United States is withholding judgment on the new Hamas-Fatah unity government “until its policies become clearer,” according to State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack. He said the US would continue to work with Abbas, regardless of the decision.
White House spokesman Tony Snow reiterated that the Bush administration will only recognize the new PA government if it recognizes Israel, renounces violence and accepts existing agreements.
Schools Nationwide Prepare For Missile Attacks
Schools nationwide held drills on Thursday to practice for an enemy attack. Students practiced running into bomb shelters and remaining calm. The exercise gave teachers a chance to check preparedness, both of the students and of the bomb shelters.
While school would be cancelled in case of a nationwide attack, the exercise prepared students and teachers for the time between the beginning of an attack and the cancellation of classes. During the war with Hizbullah last summer, students in many schools and universities were caught off guard by rocket fire, and did not know where to find shelter.
Third Intifada
Two rock attacks took place in the Shomron region on Thursday night. In the first attack, Arabs threw stones at Israelis who were driving north of Ramallah. The second attack took place east of Kalkilya.
No injuries were reported in either attack. Two cars were damaged.
Arab terrorists opened fire on a group of soldiers in Shechem on Thursday night. No soldiers were injured in the attack.
A PA Arab man was killed after when a smuggling tunnel between Rafah and Egypt collapsed, according to PA reports. Two men were injured in the collapse.
IDF soldiers arrested nine wanted terrorists from the Hamas and PFLP terror groups Thursday night. Four were caught in a village northwest of Ramallah and one was nabbed southwest of Bethlehem. Four others were arrested west of Hevron.
The arrests, according to the new PA platform, are a violation of the cease-fire and are grounds for a PA counter-attack.