Posted on 09/07/2003 4:35:36 PM PDT by blam
'Gates of Hell' threat sparks Israeli alert
By David Blair in Jerusalem
(Filed: 08/09/2003)
Israel and the Palestinians were braced last night for a spiral of bloodshed after Ariel Sharon, the prime minister, called the Hamas leadership "marked men" and the Islamic extremist group said the Holy Land was entering the "gates of Hell".
Israeli troops sealed off the West Bank and Gaza to try to prevent suicide attacks as pressure grew on Mr Sharon to deport Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader.
Last night, at least 11 people were injured after Israeli helicopters fired two missiles at the home of Hamas militant Abdel Salam Abu Musa in Khan Younis on the Gaza Strip.
The crisis was triggered by the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas, the moderate Palestinian prime minister. It was deepened by a failed Israeli attempt to kill Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas.
Mr Abbas's resignation and the confusion surrounding his possible successor have shredded America's "road map" for peace.
Mr Sharon, who has continued his "targeted assassinations" of extremists despite an abortive ceasefire, said that Hamas's leadership was "marked for death".
"We will give them no rest," he said. "We will continue pursuing them because they have only one goal: the destruction of Israel."
Of the four key Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip, three have been wounded in assassination attempts since June. Sheikh Yassin escaped with cuts and bruises after an F16 jet dropped a 500lb bomb on a house he was visiting in Gaza City on Saturday.
This attempt to kill the principal founder of Hamas sparked popular anger. Abdel-Aziz Rantissi, a key figure in Hamas, said: "The gates of Hell have been opened and every Jew is a target."
Within 24 hours of an attempt to kill Mr Rantissi in June, a suicide bomb attack killed 16 people in Jerusalem.
Mr Abbas's resignation has created a power vacuum at the heart of the Palestinian Authority and allowed Mr Arafat to move back to centre stage despite American-led attempts to isolate him.
Mr Arafat called a meeting of his Fatah faction in the West Bank city of Ramallah to discuss Mr Abbas's successor.
The gathering appeared to settle on Ahmed Qureia, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and an Arafat loyalist.
Mr Abbas's departure increased pressure on Mr Sharon to deport Mr Arafat, who is confined to his compound in Ramallah.
Silvan Shalom, the foreign minister, became the third member of the cabinet publicly to urge this course.
"I think his expulsion is inevitable after years of involvement in terrorism," he said.
Mr Abbas had sought to wrest control of the Palestinian security services from Mr Arafat. This was his only means of meeting Israeli and American demands for a crackdown on Hamas and other militant groups.
Colin Powell, the American secretary of state, called for Mr Abbas's successor to be given these powers.
If this pig is expelled again, he will just continue his evil from another Country. Unfortunately, only another 'palestinian' is allowed to kill him. I know - there's no such thing as a 'palestinian'.........FRegards
Now you're talking.
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