By Ryan Jones
May 15, 2006
The successful elimination of five wanted "Palestinian" terrorists during an IDF operation in northern Samaria Sunday prompted the Hamas Authority to plead with the international community to intervene before more Jew-killers are cut down.
Crack Israeli troops surrounded a house in the Jenin-area village of Kabatia after intelligence indicated Elias Ashkar, the top wanted Islamic Jihad commander behind the terrorist murders of at least 40 people, including 11 in Tel Aviv last month, was holed up inside.
The Israelis were immediately engaged in what became an hours-long shootout, resulting in the deaths of Ashkar and four other terrorists belonging to different organizations, including Fatah. There were no Israeli casualties.
Earlier in the day, a Palestinian Authority intelligence officer was reportedly shot dead by soldiers in nearby Jenin while apparently obstructing an arrest operation.
Speaking to Ynet, Mushir al-Masri, a senior Hamas member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, described the day's events as a "war crime," and urged the international community to deny Israel the right to defend itself.
"The world must intervene to stop the massacre instead of stopping the transfer of aid to the Palestinian people."
Islamic Jihad leader Sheik Khaled el-Batsh vowed to avenge Ashkar's death by murdering more Jews.
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz "will be held accountable for his policies, which will result in the death of Israeli citizens in retaliatory attacks that the Palestinian resistance groups are sure to carry out in response to the crime in Jenin."
Unsurprisingly, PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas chimed in by accusing Israel of unjustly heightening tensions.
"This dangerous escalation will lead the region to more violence and instability."
Peretz meanwhile took pride in the successful execution of the first major anti-terror operation under his auspices, noting that justice was catching up with Ashkar even as another victim of Passover bombing he masterminded succumbed to his wounds and died in Tel Aviv.
The operation was "an important achievement against terror in Judea and Samaria, which took place as yet another family was informed of the death of its son, Daniel Wultz, who was injured in an attack masterminded by Ashkar."
Peretz looked to put to rest assumptions that, as a man whose career has focused on social issues, his tenure as defense minister would be marked by a sharp decline in Israel's war on terror.
"We will continue to fight terror intensively while trying to alleviate as much as possible on the Palestinian civilian population."