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Abbas accuses Israel of undermining peace
Associated Press
Published August 26, 2005
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday denounced a deadly Israeli arrest raid that killed five Palestinians, calling it an intentional provocation aimed at undermining a six-month cease-fire, but he urged militant groups to hold their fire.
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade vowed revenge, a move that would undercut the goodwill that resulted from an Israeli pullout from 25 Jewish settlements in Gaza and part of the West Bank.
After the last settlers evacuated those settlements Tuesday, violence flared in three places.
A rocket fired from Lebanon exploded in the Israeli village of Margaliot on Thursday, causing some damage but no casualties. Late Wednesday, Israeli forces raided the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank, killing five Palestinians, at least three of them armed. A few hours before that, a Palestinian stabbed two young Jewish men in the Old City of Jerusalem, killing Shmuel Matt, 21, a British citizen. Sammy Weissbard, 20, of New York was seriously wounded.
Abbas blamed Israel for inciting the sudden escalation with its deadly raid in Tulkarem. "This murder intentionally aims at renewing the vicious cycle of violence," he said.
Raanan Gissin, an aide to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, responded that the Palestinians have failed to control militants. "We have transferred authority over this city of Tulkarem and the surrounding villages to the Palestinian Authority, and over a period of about three months, no action has been taken," Gissin said.
Islamic Jihad sent a suicide bomber into Tel Aviv in February and another into Netanya in July. Five Israelis were killed in each attack. The cell's leadership was traced to the Tulkarem area, and Israel has been hunting its members, claiming that even under the truce, it has the right to take defensive measures.
Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said the arrest raid targeted those fugitives. Palestinians said the Israelis opened fire first, and Mofaz did not deny that.
[Last modified August 26, 2005, 01:37:18]
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