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| Israel-Palestine |
| Iran seeking to whack Abbas |
| 2004-11-16 |
| The defense establishment is worried that extremist Palestinians under Iranian influence might in the near future try to assassinate Mahmoud Abbas, the new head of the PLO. Defense officials do not believe that Sunday's incident, in which armed Palestinians fired at Abbas's entourage, killing two guards, was aimed at Abbas himself. Rather, said one senior defense official, it was meant as a warning: that Abbas should not leave armed Fatah activists from Gaza, who are identified with Moussa Arafat and Tanzim leader Ahmed Hilas, out of the circle of power. "This will not be the last incident of this type," he added. But the chances of a genuine assassination attempt will increase the closer the new Palestinian leadership comes to an agreement to end the terror and resume diplomatic negotiations with Israel, the official said. Abbas, he noted, has openly opposed terrorism and the anarchy in the territories ever since the intifada began in September 2000, and he tried to implement this approach during his half-year stint as Palestinian prime minister, under Yasser Arafat, in 2003. Now, Abbas wants to arrange a new cease-fire, and if he is elected as the Palestinian Authority's new chairman this January, he is also expected to strive for some kind of agreement, even if only partial, with Israel. Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, however, are vehemently opposed to even a temporary Palestinian reconciliation with Israel, and they are therefore pressing terrorist organizations in the territories to step up attacks against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces are bracing for a spate of such attacks in the coming days, after the Id al-Fitr holiday. The first sally in this expected wave of attacks may already have occurred, in the form of a Katyusha rocket fired at the Western Galilee from Lebanon Monday afternoon the second such incident in the last three weeks. The drone that Hezbollah sent over Israel last week is another sign that the Iranian-backed organization is interested in heating up the northern border. Iran's first move, defense officials said, will be to try to foil Abbas's plans for a cease-fire. But, they added, Iran views Abbas as a threat, and would therefore not hesitate to target him personally, along with his close associate, Mohammed Dahlan, if his efforts to reach a truce seem likely to succeed. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #11 You know, none of what is going on with the Paleo "government" has any seriousness about it. All these developments are nothing but deck chair rearranging; the whole government apparatus is rotten to the core, and there is no Palestinian Sadat to get the ball rolling in the right direction. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-11-16 9:37:28 PM |
| #10 so debka blames Iran. Al Guardian says it was alocal Fatah hack, a corrupt crony of Arafat, who doesnt like the new regime, and says that people present ided the guy. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-11-16 4:41:17 PM |
| #9 Abu Mazen is apparently making some effort to reign in "militants" putting pressure on them to not carry weapons in public, and to stop attacks on Israel at least till the Pal elections. Reports are that Islamic Jihad and Tanzim were holding out for cold cash to make a deal. Hamas (which seems to be much better financed ;) ) was looking for a joint role in Pal leadership with Abu Mazen and the PLO. Abu Mazen wasnt giving that, and now Hamas has said NO to the Hudna. This creates a difficult situation, since Israeli attacks on Hamas (necessary if Abu Mazen doents attack Hamas) will undermine Abu Mazen, but Abu Mazen may not have the "street cred" to pull off the longawaited civil war on Hamas. |
| Posted by: Liberalhawk 2004-11-16 2:56:20 PM |
| #8 Iraq is perfectly located to threaten both Syria and Iran. And Saddam was financing Paleo-boomers. Forgot about that, Aris, or do you think it is irrelevant? How many missiles has Iran lobbed at Israel, to date? |
| Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever) 2004-11-16 2:30:48 PM |
| #7 Saddam was much further down the list. And a more expedient target. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-11-16 2:10:58 PM |
| #6 Iran is clearly asserting itself as Saddam's replacement in the middle east: the #1 destabilizer of all and sundry, the lead attack dog against Israel, the haven and lead supporter of anti-US jihad. Iran and Syria were already in the top places of all that. Saddam was much further down the list. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-11-16 12:28:28 PM |
| #5 Hamas said it would not honor a ceasefire. Good for them. At least they are honest. |
| Posted by: 2b 2004-11-16 11:56:47 AM |
| #4 #1 "This whole notion of a Palestinian state is sounding more and more like a total waste of time and effort." I think it's absolutely f*%$ing brilliant combined with the security fence. No more hiding behind the oppressed people w/out a government bs. Now, if Hamas attacks Isreal, it's doing so from an official state and not 'occupied terr.' It's no longer an act of 'resistance' but an act of war committed by a belligerent government. |
| Posted by: Psycho Hillbilly 2004-11-16 11:54:25 AM |
| #3 Iran is clearly asserting itself as Saddam's replacement in the middle east: the #1 destabilizer of all and sundry, the lead attack dog against Israel, the haven and lead supporter of anti-US jihad. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-11-16 11:53:28 AM |
| #2 But this story is still worth the following due to what's specifically in this, a look at the "direct reach" of Iran in opposing us and Israel ... |
| Posted by: Flinesh Angonter9198 2004-11-16 11:35:00 AM |
| #1 According to the Palestinian officials, Abbas and Qureia are seeking a long-term cease-fire under Egyptian and international auspices that would impose rigid restrictions on Israeli military activity. ...While doing nothing to address the actions of Palestinian-based and Palestinian-inspired terrorists. This whole notion of a Palestinian state is sounding more and more like a total waste of time and effort. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2004-11-16 10:39:40 AM |