Free Republic

When it became clear earlier this month that Israel was headed for early elections, some international policymakers were undecided as to whether to maintain their push for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement or take a hiatus of three-plus months. Some European officials figured that it wouldn’t make much sense to press ahead until Israel had a new government with a fresh mandate from the people to take the decisions required for an accord. Overt pressure on Jerusalem in the course of the campaign would also likely help the right-wing parties, these officials calculated, and they consequently urged their governments to refrain from...

Manhal Arafat, the kidnapped son of murdered ex-security chief Moussa Arafat, was released late Thursday night. He was seen entering the office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City, accompanied by Palestinian officials. Moussa Arafat was killed when dozens of gunmen stormed his house in Gaza City early Wednesday. His son, Manhal, was abducted. A masked man saying he represents the Popular Resistance Committees reaffirmed responsibility for the killing and kidnapping after leaders of the group distanced themselves from the acts. After meeting Abbas, Manhal Arafat was taken to his dead father's house. Gunmen outside fired in the...

Yasser Arafat was most likely turning in his grave on Wednesday in the aftermath of the assassination of his devoted nephew, Gen. Moussa Arafat. Many Palestinians in Ramallah, where the late Palestinian leader is buried, expressed relief that the assassination did not take place while Yasser Arafat was still in power. The killing of Moussa Arafat could have triggered a bloodbath if his uncle were still alive, they said. With the departure of the much-hated Moussa Arafat from the Palestinian scene, the Arafat family has lost yet another one of its important symbols. Yasser Arafat's younger brother, Fathi, died of...

Palestinian Authority security forces in the Gaza Strip were placed on high alert on Wednesday following the execution - style assassination of General Moussa Arafat, the former commander of the PA's Military Intelligence, and a nephew of Yasser Arafat. PA Interior Minister Nasser Youssef, who is in charge of the Palestinian security forces, announced the establishment of a special commission of inquiry to investigate the killing. "This murderous crime constitutes a dangerous deterioration in the internal security situation and those responsible won't escape punishment," Youssef said. PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who strongly condemned the assassination, held a series of meetings...