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Palestinian Authority Links to Terrorism
IDF Spokesperson - The IDF has arrested the head of the Palestinian Authority special forces in Bethlehem, Rafat Gaobara, 29, who was also one of the commanders of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of Fatah. Since the beginning of the conflict, Gaobara has been involved in the organization of terrorist cells to carry out numerous shooting attacks from Bethlehem toward the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. In addition, he dispatched suicide bomber who attacked a supermarket in Efrat on Feb. 22, 2002, and planned to carry out additional terrorist attacks in the near future. These and other operations underline the importance of IDF activities within the Palestinian territories. The IDF is forced to operate in these locations since the Palestinian Authority is not acting to prevent terrorist attacks from these areas. These arrests prevent terrorist attacks and loss of life inside Israel every day. In an additional example of the importance of IDF operations, this week IDF forces arrested two Tanzim operatives and a Popular Front operative in Nablus with a vehicle that contained a mobile bomb laboratory. The arrest of Gaobara, the head of a PA security force who also served in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, is further proof of the connection between the Palestinian security organizations and terrorism.