The militants who last weekend brought Gaza to a state of near anarchy in protest at the alleged corruption of Yasser Arafat’s regime have warned they will take more action if they are not heeded. ”This is just the beginning,” said Abu Shakir, a leader of the group that attacked police stations and kidnapped a Palestinian police chief. ”The basic demand is that we want free and fair elections.”
As he heard gunfire being exchanged between groups of Palestinian gunmen in the dispute over who should head the Palestinian police in Gaza, Ahmed Kaskin could only wonder at the cost of the ammunition and what the money could do for his family. If one of his six sons was drawing a policeman’s wage, he might have been more partisan.
Ariel Sharon, Israel’s Prime Minister, escaped corruption charges this week after the attorney general decided there was not enough evidence against him. Sharon and his son, Gilad, were accused of helping Israeli entrepreneur David Appel to promote a plan to develop a holiday resort on a Greek island, in return for payments for political campaigns and the family’s farm.
As more Israeli soldiers die in Gaza and Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu suggest cutting off the water and electricity supply to Gaza and severely limiting the movement of Palestinians, analysts are warning against Israel’s growing entanglement in the area.
Israelis were urged on Monday to carry guns during the coming week in case Palestinian militants attempt to carry out revenge attacks during the Passover holiday. Palestinians from all factions have promised reprisals against Israel for the assassination last month of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas.
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/ 12 December 2003
Israel’s Supreme Court has ordered a son of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to hand over documents relating to a fraud inquiry that commentators believe could eventually force Sharon to resign.
Yasser Arafat says Israel is not serious about peace, and has called on the international community to prevent the region from returning to futile violence.