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May 6, 2006
Israel foils plot to kill Palestinian president
Times Online is reporting that a Hamas plot to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has been thwarted after he was tipped off by Israeli intelligence:
Hamas's military wing, the Izza Din Al-Qassem, had planned to kill Abbas at his office in Gaza, intelligence sources said.
Abbas, who became president of the Palestinian Authority last year after the death of Yasser Arafat, was formally warned of the danger by the Israelis and cancelled a planned visit to the territory.
The murder plan is the clearest sign yet of the tensions inside the Palestinian Authority between Hamas, which swept to power after elections in January, and Abbas's Fatah movement. . . .
It is understood that the attack would also have targeted Mohammed Dahlan, Abbas's strongman in Gaza. source
An Israeli intelligence source said, "So when we learned that Abbas's life was in danger, we made sure to inform him without delay." Now that's a class act on the Israeli part. It should be noted that Fatah has it's own security forces and now Hamas has a new security force of it's own.
Hamas's new security force is expected to start operating in the Gaza Strip next week . . . Meanwhile, Hamas leaders warned over the weekend of a new intifada and said they would "chop off" the head of anyone who works to bring down their cabinet
The 3,000-strong force, which consists largely of Hamas militiamen, was established last month by Interior Minister Said Siam to help PA security forces enforce law and order in the Gaza Strip.
The decision to establish the new force has enraged PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who responded by issuing a "presidential decree" forbidding the Interior Minister from pursuing his plan under the pretext that the move was "illegal."
Hassan al-Safi, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, warned that the international sanctions would lead to a "third intifada." He added: "This time it will be a regional intifada which will change the balance of power in the region."source
Cross posted at Right Truth, In the Bullpen, Hyscience, Freedom's Zone and Knickerbocker News
Posted by Debbie at May 6, 2006 9:12 PM
