Israel Matzav

Palestinian Islamic Jihad threatens to resume suicide bombings

Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Judea and Samaria has threatened to resume suicide bombings in response to Israeli raids on Gaza tunnels and weapons factories following rocket launchings against Israel. As if they ever stopped trying.

The threat came in response to attacks launched by IAF planes on the Gaza Strip following the firing of rockets on Israel in the past few days.

The group, however, admitted that it has become very difficult to launch suicide attacks out of the West Bank because of security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Islamic Jihad has only a few hundred followers in the West Bank. Members of the group have in the past carried out a number of suicide bombings in Israel.

PA security forces have arrested many of the group's members in the West Bank. The IDF has also arrested dozens of Islamic Jihad activists in recent years.

"Suicide operations require places for training and preparing explosive belts," said Abu Ahmed, spokesman for the Al-Quds Battalions, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. "It's very difficult to do these things because of the policy of security coordination and the arrest of [would-be] suicide bombers."

He said that members of his group were "suffering a lot" in the West bank because of the PA's security measures and "persecution."

Abu Ahmed described the PA's crackdown as a "national crime" against Palestinians.

I know.... If they insist on going back to suicide bombings, what if they carried out suicide bombings against the PA? Hmmm.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:17 PM