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Palestinian Arabs

Olmert government arms Fatah killers


By Stan Goodenough
December 28, 2006

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Wednesday approved and facilitated the transfer of thousands of AK47 rifles and millions of rounds of ammunition to Fatah terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

IDF military police escorted four trucks carrying the weapons from Egypt – which supplied them – through Israel to Gaza.

There they were handed over for distribution to various Fatah-affiliated groups.

A number of Israeli lawmakers slammed the move, saying the weapons – like those given to the Palestinian Arabs under previous agreements – would be used to kill Jews.

Their protests fell on deaf ears.

Olmert’s aim is to shore up Fatah chief and Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas against the increasingly popular Hamas, who control a majority in the PA.

Fighting between the two sides has flared up repeatedly, coming to bloodshed in recent weeks. But the Fatah gunmen have reportedly complained to Abbas that their weapons are inferior to those of Hamas.

Both the Olmert government and the Bush administration have decided to strengthen Abbas, who they view as a moderate despite his long and ongoing commitment to Israel’s destruction.

Wednesday’s arms transfer comes a few days after Abbas met Olmert in what appears to have been a first step towards a cooperative effort against Hamas. During that meeting, Olmert demanded that Abbas use his tens of thousands of security personnel to put a stop to the daily firing of missiles from Gaza.

It is believed that Abbas complained of his inability to enforce his will on other “Palestinian” groups, in response to which Olmert offered to help him do so.

Following that meeting – in yet another indication of how far he is prepared to go to help keep Abbas at the head of the PA – Olmert let it be known that he would soon announce the release from Israeli jails of hundreds of Arab terrorists.

This would take place despite thee fact that the “Palestinians” have given no indication that they intend to release Gilad Shalit, the IDF corporal abducted by Arabs six months ago.

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