(Gatestone Institute) Khaled Abu Toameh - For the first time since 2007, masked Hamas and Islamic Jihad militiamen made a public appearance this week in the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank, an area controlled by Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority. PA security forces did not intervene to stop or arrest the gunmen as they fired into the air during a rally to commemorate Islamic Jihad member Nafi Sa'di, killed by the Israel Defense Forces last December. By allowing the gunmen to participate in a public rally in the West Bank, Abbas may be warning Israel that Palestinians have not abandoned the option of armed struggle. Senior Hamas representative Wasfi Kabaha declared at the rally, "We wanted to send a message to Israel that the Palestinian resistance continues to exist in the West Bank and is prepared for confrontation."
2014-01-31 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive