(KUNA) -- The Governor of the Palestinian city of Nablus Jamal Moheissen said some 20 members of the pro-Fatah Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade handed in on Tuesday their weapons and surrendered to Palestinian security forces.Hoheissen, who was speaking during a special interview with the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), said they made the move voluntarily in order to deny Israeli forces the excuse to continue their intrusion into Nablus to catch the activists.
He said the activists were willing to give the peace process a chance to succeed and have opted to give themselves up as a "national gesture." He added that members of the armed resistance were determined to comply with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' peace pledges, "but it was the Israelis who continued their random killing of Palestinians and destruction of their homes." Moheissen said the 20 activists were now held by security forces in their headquarters and added that a meeting between Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad and Israeli Army Minister Ehud Barak would meet soon to discuss several issues including the issue of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza.
The meeting was to have taken place Tuesday, but was postponed for some reason, which Moheissen declined to reveal.