(Ha'aretz) Arnon Regular and Aluf Benn - Arafat Monday refused his cabinet's call to use the Palestinian security forces against terror organizations. Interior Minister Hakem Balawi and the commander of the National Security forces, Haj Ismail Jabbar, both called upon Arafat to act against Hamas and Fatah's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Other ministers warned Arafat of Israel's expected harsh response to the attack in Ashdod and the international community's reaction to the continuing chaos in the territories. Arafat refused to allow arrests of Fatah activists and also turned down other aspects of the plan, such as the collection of illegal arms.
2004-03-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive