Various sources report that Israel has stormed the Palestinian Military Intelligence headquarters in Ramallah and arrested 18 Palestinians:
In the West Bank town of Ramallah, about 100 Israeli Army vehicles surrounded the building in the early hours, with troops ordering people to come out before they moved in.
The Israeli Army said it had arrested 18 people who heeded its call through loudspeakers to surrender. The army said they were involved in shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers and in attempts to kidnap Israelis.
One Palestinian security official accused Israel of violating a 2005 truce agreement whereby it would stop pursuing fugitive militants, allowing them to be absorbed into Palestinian security services.
“Those al-Aqsa Brigades members were staying [in the compound] overnight because they are actual security force members. They were not hiding,” the official said.
Palestinian security sources said the detainees belonged to the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades and were also members of Palestinian security services. — Daily Star (Lebanon) [my emphasis]
And who are the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (AAMB)?
The al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades (Arabic: كتائب شهداء الأقصى) are a Palestinian militant and designated terrorist group closely linked to the Fatah political party and one of the most active forces in al-Aqsa Intifada. The group targets civilians and is thus a designated terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S., Canada, and the European Union. — Wikipedia
Now, there are just a couple of things I don’t understand.
1) They are members of a terrorist organization which claims responsibility for murderous attacks against Israelis…but they are also members of the Palestinian ‘security’ services, and this is somehow normal?
2) The AAMB is associated with the Fatah party. But isn’t that the party of Mahmoud Abbas, which supposedly wants a negotiated two-state solution with Israel, which Israel and the US have been supporting, and to which international donors have been donating (despite the boycott of the Hamas-led PA)?
Technorati Tags: Fatah, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades