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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
PA: 'Iran, Syria orchestrated Israeli kidnapping attempt'
2007-06-12
An attempted Palestinian raid of the Israeli border this weekend, purportedly to kidnap an Israeli soldier, was orchestrated by Syria and Iran, according to security officials associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
"Wudn't us. It wuz them."
The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday thwarted an attempt by the Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad militants to kidnap a soldier on the Israeli side of a major crossing into the Gaza Strip. Four militants approached the Israeli border in an SUV bearing "TV" signs in an attempt to disguise themselves as journalists. Reporters working in Gaza usually travel in cars with "TV" symbols to identify themselves. Upon reaching the crossing, the militants blew a hole in the border fence and attempted to storm an IDF position. IDF troops rushed to the scene, chasing three of the militants back to the Gaza Strip. One of the militants, 19-year-old Mohammed Jaabari, became separated from the group and hid inside Israel. Jaabari was later shot dead after he opened fire when soldiers approached him, the IDF said.

Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack. "The aim of the operation was to retreat with a prisoner," said Abu Ahmed, a spokesman for Islamic Jihad. "This was prevented by the use of Israeli helicopters."

This attempted kidnapping took place just before the one year anniversary of the kidnapping by Hamas and two other groups of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been held in Gaza and is being used as a bargaining chip by the Hamas-led Palestinian government to release Palestinian prisoners, including arrested militants, held in Israeli jails.

Palestinian security officials associated with Fatah said this weekend's Islamic Jihad kidnap attempt was "completely orchestrated" by Syria and Iran. They said the operation was directly ordered by Ramadan Shallah, the overall chief of Islamic Jihad who resides in Syria and travels frequently to Iran. The Palestinian security officials said they had information phone calls were made between Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and the group's leadership in Damascus right before, during and after Saturday's kidnapping attempt. "This operation was an Iranian and Syrian way to explode things and have another card on the table," said a Palestinian security official.

The official said Hamas has shown flexibility regarding releasing Shalit, whereas Islamic Jihad is not part of the Palestinian government, answers to Iran and would take a more hardened stance if it has an Israeli prisoner. The official also said a successful kidnapping and raid of the Israeli border was estimated by Syria and Iran to have drawn Israel into a larger conflict in Gaza, thus distracting Israel from its northern border with Syria, where according to Israeli troops Syrian forces have been mobilizing the past few weeks. After Shalit's kidnapping last year, the IDF launched the largest operation it had conducted in Gaza since Israel evacuated the territory in 2005.
Posted by:Fred

#3  PA: 'Iran, Syria orchestrated Israeli kidnapping attempt'

Tell us something we don't know.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2007-06-12 17:16  

#2  could be true, or could be Fatah is really scared of an Israeli-Syrian deal.
Posted by: liberalhawk   2007-06-12 12:47  

#1  PA: 'Iran, Syria orchestrated Israeli kidnapping attempt'

"Cuz wee kant spel."
Posted by: Detailing B Hard   2007-06-12 02:46  

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