Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei condemned Sunday's suicide attacks in Ashdod, saying such actions provide Israel with an excuse to continue its "aggression" against the Palestinians and build the security fence. The denunciation came as scores of Palestinians took to the streets in the Jenin and Jabalya refugee camps to "celebrate" the attacks. Drivers honked car horns as gunmen fired into the air to express their joy. Others distributed sweets to passersby, hailing the suicide bombers and calling on all Palestinian groups to step up their "resistance operations against the Israeli enemy."
"This is a natural response to the massacres perpetrated against our people," said Abu Qusai, one of the leaders of Fatah's armed wing, the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. "We tell the Zionist enemy that it must expect more heroic operations like the one in Ashdod." The Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed joint responsibility with Hamas for the Ashdod attacks. PA officials said the Fatah group's growing involvement in suicide attacks is a source of major concern for the PA leadership. "People are asking themselves, if we can't control our own men, how can we be expected to rein in Hamas and other groups," said one official. "Before we talk about enforcing law and order in the streets, we must first take drastic measures to put an end to the state of anarchy and rebellion in Fatah."
Zakariya Zubaidi, commander of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in the Jenin area, said last week in response to the killing of four Fatah gunmen by the IDF that his group has decided to resume suicide attacks inside Israel. The group has refrained in the past few months from launching such attacks inside the Green Line, arguing that its fight is directed against the occupation and IDF soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Ramallah, a statement issued by Qurei's office said: "The higher national interests of the Palestinian people require an immediate cessation of such actions. The Palestinian government condemns the targeting of civilians on both sides and the continuation of the series of military escalation." Qurei reiterated his call for a mutual cease-fire with Israel to break the cycle of violence and implement the road map plan for peace in the Middle East. PA Chairman Yasser Arafat issued a similar statement, noting that the purpose of the attack was to thwart the planned summit between Qurei and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. |