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Former Palestinian Terrorists Predict Reaction to September UN Vote But No Intifada
(Ha'aretz) Avi Issacharoff - On Wednesday in Nablus, the largest city in the West Bank, several leading formerly wanted men from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade spoke to Ha'aretz about the amnesty they received from Israel and about September's Palestinian bid for recognition of an independent state at the UN. They were the ones who led the fighting against Israel between 2000 and 2008, but said they wouldn't join in if a third intifada broke out. Under the amnesty, nearly 400 former terrorists turned in their weapons and agreed to refrain from terrorist activity. L., who evaded the Israeli army for years, later joined the PA general intelligence service. He said, "The Palestinian Authority wants to calm the situation and is doing so. We're living at a time when people are less interested in the homeland and more in their salaries." "The second intifada took us 20 years backwards - the deaths, the siege on the cities - so in my opinion there won't be a third intifada. But a reaction following September will definitely come. The young people will take to the streets."