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Islamic insurgents warns Palestinians they will resist arrest

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Wednesday, November 14, 2001

GAZA CITY Ñ Islamic opposition groups Ñ bolstered by infighting within security agencies Ñ have decided to resist arrests by the Palestinian Authority.

Islamic opposition sources said Hamas and Islamic Jihad plan to resist arrest and searches unless they are accompanied by a court order. The sources warned that Islamic militants will no longer surrender peacefully to authorities.

On late Tuesday, Islamic militants blocked PA police from arresting Jihad leader Mohammed Hindi in Gaza City. Hindi was being interviewed by Iranian television when police tried to raid the building.

The sources said PA police was blocked from entering the office while Jihad members called Palestinian leaders of the insurgency against Israel.

The insurgency leadership contains members of the Fatah movement led by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat as well as Hamas and Jihad.

Insurgency leaders responded quickly and ordered the police to leave. The sources said Jihad members with weapons also arrived to ensure the departure of the police.

The sources said PA police chief Brig. Gen. Ghazi Jabali has ordered his men not confront armed opposition members unless the officers are in danger.

Jabali was the target of unsuccessful campaign for his dismissal last month when his officers killed three Palestinians during a violent demonstration in support of Saudi fugitive Osama Bin Laden.

PA sources confirmed the account. They said the new policy by Islamic militants challenges the PA and cannot be ignored.

The heads of the major PA security agencies Ñ Mohammed Dahlan and Jibril Rajoub -- are said to have urged Arafat to crack down on insurgency groups in the Palestinian areas. They have called on Arafat to stop unauthorized activities of the Fatah movement and then move on to the Islamic groups.

But other PA officials oppose this. They said a crackdown on Palestinian insurgency groups could result in a backlash against the PA.

Last week, the Palestinian High Court ordered the release of two detained leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, arrested in connection with the Ze'evi assassination. The arrests prompted complaints by Palestinian human rights groups.

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