(BBC) The Palestinian Authority, headed by Yasser Arafat, is paying members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades - responsible for carrying out suicide attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians - up to $50,000 a month, a BBC investigation has found. A former PA minister says the money is an attempt to wean the gunmen away from suicide bombings. Despite the payments, the al-Aqsa group has not declared a formal ceasefire and Arafat has not asked the group to stop the suicide bombings. Close links between Arafat's Fatah political faction and al-Aqsa were also discovered. Said a leader of Fatah in Jenin, "There is no difference between Fatah and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades."
2003-11-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive