Fatah Fraction threatens reprisals against All Palestine over Fight to Stop Terrorism

Islamic Jihad: Israel foiling lull efforts

Spokesman of organization, whose operatives were killed by IDF in Bethlehem and Tulkarm on Wednesday, accuses Jewish state of 'destroying all efforts invested in reaching truce in occupied Palestine.' The Palestinian people have no other choice but to continue resistance against Zionists' crimes, he adds

13 March 2008
by Roee Nahmias

There is no room for discussing a truce with Israel, the Islamic Jihad's spokesman said Thursday, after four of the organization's operatives and a Fatah member were killed by the IDF on Wednesday in two separate incidents in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Tulkarm.

According to Dawud Shihab, "What happened is a blow and a slap in Egypt's face in light of its efforts to reach a lull, and a show of disregard towards the Egyptian and Arab role and towards all the talks and agreements."

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In an interview with the Iranian news network al-Alam, Shihab said, "The Israeli escalation, the assassination of five Palestinian fighters in the West Bank and the resumption of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip constitute an elimination of all the efforts invested in order to reach a truce in occupied Palestine."

The spokesman added that "the crimes committed yesterday by the Zionist entity in the West Bank and the ongoing crimes it commits in the Gaza Strip clarify once again that it is continuing its aggressive policy against the Palestinian people.

"The Palestinian people have no other choice but to continue the resistance and retaliate against the crimes of these Zionists."

Shihab accused Israel of all the crises taking place in the region, saying that "the Zionist enemy is turning its back at all the attempts to reach stability in the region.

"It is the main reason for the outbreak of all the crises and the elimination of all the efforts invested in order to reach a truce. It bears the responsibility for all this."

The Islamic Jihad responded to Wednesday's killings by firing rockets towards the western Negev. At least 13 Qassam rockets were fired since midnight, one landing in a sports ground near a Sderot school and causing damage.

Another rocket caused damage to a warehouse. One resident suffered from shock and was treated by paramedics at the scene.