Israel, Palestinians clash over suspected Bin Laden agents

RAMALLAH -- Israel and the Palestinian Authority have failed to cooperate against what security sources said is an unprecedented attempt by Saudi billionaire fugitive Osama Bin Laden to launch terrorist attacks against Israeli and Palestinian targets.

Palestinian and Israeli security sources said two suspected agents of Bin Laden's Al Qaida organization have been captured over the past two months in Gaza. They confessed to having been sent from Afghanistan to Gaza to launch attacks.

Israeli security sources said the PA has refused to allow Israel to interrogate the alleged Bin Laden aides. The sources said this is the first time Bin Laden has sent agents to attack Israeli targets.

But Palestinian sources said the the PA regards the arrival of the Bin Laden agents as a threat to their security and insist that they conduct the investigation. The sources said the PA, not Israel, discovered the Bin Laden agents.

Last month, Israeli and PA security agents clashed in a successful Israeli attempt to capture a Bin Laden agent who arrived in Gaza from Afghanistan. The militant was arrested by PA security forces at the Rafiah border crossing on June 1. But PA security officials refused to hand him over to Israel.

Palestinian sources said that hours later, Israeli commandos burst into the Palestinian facility and captured the detained militant. In the ensuing clash with Palestinian forces, six PA police were injured.

In early July, another member of Bin Laden's group said he was operating for Bin Laden.

Palestinian sources said the arrival of the Bin Laden agents was raised by CIA director George Tenet during his visit last month to Gaza, where he met with PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. During his visit, Tenet approved the formal opening of a CIA office in Ramallah.

Since 1998, the CIA has been operating an office in Gaza City.