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Zakaria Zubeidi, leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade in Jenin, tops Israel's most wanted list.
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| By israelinsider staff August 23, 2004 |
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Al Aqsa leader Zakaria Zubeidi, who tops Israel's wanted list, says he is 'the law'; has U.S. policy on settlement construction really changed?
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Wanted: dead or alive - Zakaria Zubeidi, leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade in Jenin, tops Israel's most wanted list. Zubeidi, who has reportedly survived four Israeli "targeted killing" attempts, is also no friend of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat. He recently led Palestinian gunmen in torching the offices of the Palestinian Authority General Intelligence Force and the headquarters of the Jenin district governor Kadoura Moussa.
In a Washington Post interview, Zubeidi admits that he has become the self-appointed leader in the Jenin refugee camp. "Due to the absence of law," Zubeidi says, "we are the law."
Zubeidi is described as "extensively involved in terrorist activities" by the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, the Washington Post reports, and he is unrepentant about attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians.
Israel Insider previously reported on the arrest of Tali Fahima, the left-wing Israeli activist who has offered to serve as a "human shield" to protect Zubeidi.
The Petach Tikva Magistrates' Court today extended Fahima's remand by seven additional days.
Is U.S. policy on settlements shifting? - Yesterday, Israel Insider reported that the Bush administration now approves some construction in existing settlements. The move is apparently intended to boost Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's chances of implementing the disengagement plan, and also to help incumbent President George W. Bush win the Jewish vote in the November elections.
According to Bradley Burston, writing today in Haaretz, the White House has been charged that it is tailoring its policies to suit the pro-Israel leanings of American Jews.
Arutz 7's Haggai Huberman claims that there is no real change in the American policy. Huberman says the reports are just media spin "designed to help both Sharon and Bush with their respective constituencies."
The new Israeli-American understanding, Huberman says, is the "perfect formula for drying up the Yesha communities." According to this understanding, new "construction must only be for 'natural growth' and must not extend beyond where houses are currently built. What this means is that the only thing that is allowed is atop existing houses or on the grass in between houses," according to Huberman.
Note: Some of the links in this article, provided as a service to Israel Insider readers, are on outside sites not under our control. Certain links may be unavailable or require registration.
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