Palestinian killed in Gaza Strip; Arafat demands Bin Laden to stop exploiting the Palestinian cause

Israeli troops late Saturday killed a Palestinian at the Gaza Strip border with Egypt. Israeli military sources said the soldiers fired at an armed Palestinian approaching them near the frontier town of Rafah around midnight on Saturday.

Earlier Saturday night, two Israelis were lightly wounded when Palestinians ambushed a vehicle driving near the West Bank settlement of Shilo, north of Ramallah.

Palestinian security officials said Saturday that Israeli bulldozers destroyed two buildings that housed 16 Palestinians near the settlement of Netzarim, in the Gaza Strip.

Also on Saturday, in the West Bank town of Nablus, Israeli troops clashed with students at An-Najah University after closing the institution down, Palestinians said. Three students were slightly injured. The army said a curfew had been imposed in the town.

Meanwhile, Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat demanded in a newspaper interview on Sunday that al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden stop exploiting the Palestinian issue to further his own interests.

"Why is bin Laden talking about Palestine now?" he asked in an interview with Britain's Sunday Times. "He never helped us. He was working in another, completely different area and against our interests."

"I'm telling him directly not to hide behind the Palestinian cause," Arafat said. Arafat also dismissed as "big, big lies" claims by Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon that al Qaeda had established a presence in Palestinian-ruled areas of the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon.

"Sharon wants to cover his military attacks against the Palestinian people with a new face. He knows that there are no relations between al Qaeda and Palestine."

Arafat said that al Qaeda had tried to justify attacks by claiming they were part of a campaign to seize control of Palestinian territories from Israel. (Albawaba.com)

"Arafat also dismissed as 'big, big lies' claims by Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon that al Qaeda had established a presence in Palestinian-ruled areas of the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon."

Al Qaeda IS there. YASSER is the one telling the "big, big lies", and whomever is foolish enough to believe him does so at their extreme peril.

This is a haff-ast propaganda attempt by Yasser to stop US/Israeli war-on-terror cooperation against his terrorists, and to make the public go back to believing that his "cause" is "just"...the Palis are having a harder and harder time appearing to be "victims" anymore.

"Shocking indeed. Looks like more and more folks over there are seperating themselves from Osama - which will give hime more targets in his own region of the world...."

Hmmm...good point. In the process of distancing themselves from Binny in order to slide out from under US scrutany, they're making themselves targets of Binny's master organization.

Irony...you just GOTTA love it.

Jordan's action isn't surprising. King Abdullah was the only Muslim ...well, BRAVE enough to try to organize an anti-terrorism, pro-peace coalition of Arab states. IMO, he saw the writing on the wall long before the writing was on the wall (so to speak) and simply took advantage of the post-9/11 global climate to jump into the fray with his plan. I've feared for his life ever since. He must have great security personnel.

It remains to be seen whether Abbas' call for cessation of Pali violence will be listened to by Yasser. Yasser's leadership is hanging on the end of an oily, frayed rope politically. He started terrorist organizations with the express goal of destroying Israel, he encouraged terrorism, and he encourages more and more terrorists to move into the Pali territories (Lebanon is just as bad) but now Yasser's role as leader is dependent on the generosity of his co-terrorists...and the financial generosity of his owner, Saddam.

Yasser may allow Abbas to keep his position, at least until he knows for sure that Saddam's regime is dead and his terror funding has dried up....or he might fire him, continuing the political housecleaning that he started when the calls for his resignation started coming in. IMO, he'll wait a while to see which way the political wind is blowing, and THEN fire Abbas...or Abbas will be assassinated and his death blamed on the IDF.

"Palestinian security forces accused Israeli intelligence agents Saturday, December 7, of trying to set up a mock Al-Qaeda cell in the Gaza Strip following the Jewish state’s accusations Osama bin Laden’s network was active in the fenced-in coastal area."

ROFLOL....D@MN those cowards are really desperate to get back into the role of victim! That story is as funny as the one about how Israel was air dropping poisoned candy on Pali kids, or the one about EEEVEEEL Israeli belt makers putting contact poison on the belts they sell to Pali men....but Pali men continued to buy the "poisoned" belts, because they're much better quality than belts made by Palis.

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