 |
 |
 |
|
|
Palestinians gather around the remains of a car after it was hit in an Israeli missile strike in the Rafah refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2005. An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car carrying Palestinian militants on Wednesday, killing one militant and wounding 10 other people ,the first such attack since a Palestinian suicide bombing this week.(AP)
|
|
|
|
|
|
| By israelinsider staff and partners December 7, 2005 |
|
| |
An Israeli aircraft fired a missile at a car carrying Palestinian militants on Wednesday, killing one militant and wounding 10 other people -- the first such attack since a Palestinian suicide bombing this week.
The missile struck a white Subaru car shortly after nightfall in the southern town of Rafah, said Dr. Moaiya Hassanain, a Palestinian Health Ministry official who confirmed the casualties.
He said the car was carrying three members of the Popular Resistance Committees, a small violent group that has carried out numerous attacks against Israel.
Palestinians identified the dead man as Mahmoud Arkan, a senior field operative in the PRC. The Israeli army confirmed that Arkan, 29, was the target of the attack, saying he was responsible for several deadly attacks on Israelis.
Mohammed Abdel-Al, spokesman for the group, pledged to hit back. "We are ready to retaliate, and the retaliation will be tough and painful," he said. The PRC is made up of renegades from other militant groups and has rejected the cease-fire negotiated by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas last February.
Abdel-Al said that in principle, the PRC is committed to the truce but reserves the right to retaliate for Israeli attacks.
Israel has promised tough retaliation for the suicide bombing that killed five people Monday in the coastal city of Netanya. Before the Tuesday missile strike, Isrdaeli officials said killing leading Palestinian militants and renewed airstrikes in Gaza were among the options.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in September, but it has pledged a harsh response to rocket attacks from the area. There has been sporadic rocket fire out of Gaza in recent days, triggering Israeli artillery barrages.
The upsurge in violence comes as both Israel and the Palestinians are in the midst of election campaigns, with incumbents facing challenges.
Renewed clashes after several months of relative calm could benefit Likud, the hardline party abandoned by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon because of its opposition to his Gaza pullout. Polls show Sharon's Kadima and the moderate Labor far ahead of Likud ahead of the March 28 general election. Likud candidates clamored for a harsh responise to the suicide bombing.
Also, attacks against Israel could increase support for the Islamic Hamas, running against the ruling Fatah of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for the first time in Jan. 25 parliamentary elections. Hamas has accepted the truce and has stayed mostly on the sidelines, but it continues to advocate destruction of Israel and is associated with suicide bombings and other attacks against Israel in the minds of many Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel and the U.S. have called on Abbas to crack down on the militants, but Abbas has preferred to achieve calm by negotiations. However, after the Monday bombing, he ordered his security forces to arrest those responsible, and his police detained a number of Islamic Jihad members.
The AP contributed to this report.
|
|
 
|
|
|
|
Click on the blue headline to read a Talkback comment and respond to it. Click on the  icon to send a private email to the talkback writer. The icon appears only if the writer has decided to be contacted. If no popup window appears, please make sure your popup blocker allows israelinsider.com.
|
|
| |
|
|
