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Palestinian Arabs

PM's 'peace partners' tried to assassinate him


By Stan Goodenough
October 21, 2007

Yet another warning reared up Sunday to possibly sabotage the concerted US-led effort to convene an Israeli-Arab conference in Annapolis, Maryland next month.

As they began their working week, Israelis learned that members of PLO/PA chief Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah terrorist organization had planned to assassinate their prime minister last August.

According to Israel's internal intelligence services (Shin Bet), Ehud Olmert's convoy was to be fired upon as it made its way to the PA-controlled town of Jericho where the Israeli leader and Abbas were to meet.

Olmert calls Abbas his "partner for peace" and is pushing a plan to surrender the historical heartland of his nation to the Arab terror chief.

Shin Bet head Yuval Diskin told the Israeli cabinet the would-be assassins - themselves members of Abbas' so-called security services - were arrested and held by the PA, only to be released less than two months later.

Israel Radio reported PA officials had expressed "surprise" at Israel's protest over the release, claiming the men were let go because they did not have the means to implement the assassination, making their arrest "unnecessary."

But Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, slated to head up Israel's delegation to Annapolis, called the news "extremely grave."

And Olmert vowed that Israel would "not look the other way" and simply ignore what had happened.

Later in the morning, however, Olmert let it be known that talks towards convening the Annapolis conference will continue after all.

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