Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Gaza militias moving to West Bank

From Jerusalem Post Breaking News from Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World: "Aug. 7, 2005 19:11 Updated Aug. 7, 2005 19:20 By KHALED ABU TOAMEH ...

The Popular Resistance Committees, an alliance of various armed militias in the Gaza Strip, announced on Sunday that it would start operating in the West Bank immediately after the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

'We will move our cells to the West Bank,' said Jamal Abu Samhadaneh, commander of the Popular Resistance Committees. ...He said that after the Israeli pullout, his group would employ the same "fighting tactics" used in the Gaza Strip in the West Bank. "...The withdrawal will not be complete without the West Bank and Jerusalem, which is even more precious to us than the West Bank."

...Abu Samhadaneh, who is wanted by Israel for his role in a series of terror attacks, revealed that the Palestinian Authority recently offered him a senior position in its Military Intelligence Force and that he was positively weighing the offer.

The Popular Resistance Committees was established in the Gaza Strip shortly after the beginning of the intifada in 2000. Its founders said then that they had been deeply influenced by the "great victory" achieved by Hizbullah following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

According to Abu Samhadaneh, the Israeli pullout from Lebanon "enhanced our belief that the option of resistance can succeed, especially through qualitative operations against the occupation." The "qualitative operations" are a reference to suicide bombings, rocket attacks and drive-by shootings used by Hizbullah against IDF troops. "This was our model," Abu Samhadaneh explained.

...Abu Samhadaneh said he and his cohorts viewed the disengagement as an Israeli "surrender" to the will, determination and resistance of the Palestinians. "When [Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon came to power, he had a plan to eliminate the initfada within 100 days," he added.
"Now, a few years later, he is admitting defeat in the face of the Palestinians' determination to pursue the resistance. ...."

Abu Samhadaneh said his group is planning to participate in the celebrations organized by the PA after disengagement. "Like the rest of the Palestinian groups, the Popular Resistance Committees will go to the settlements immediately after the withdrawal to participate in the celebrations," he said. "...We have already seen how the Lebanese people celebrated their victory and we want to dothe same. This is a beautiful victory."

He said his group would continue to launch attacks on Israel after the disengagement "to liberate the remaining Palestinian lands." The Palestinian armed groups, he said, were not established only to liberate the Gaza Strip. "Our goal is to liberate all Palestinian lands," he added.

...Abu Samhadaneh disclosed that at least 500 members of his group have been recruited to the PA security forces since PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas was elected in January. "We are entering the Palestinian security forces as soldiers to defend our people," he said. "If Israel tries to invade the Gaza Strip, we will be at the frontline to fight." ....

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