While Ariel Sharon’s government demanded the Palestinian Authority to ban Hamas from participating in the legislative elections, the Israeli army arrested more than 200 members of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza Strip, a dozen of them were political and military leaders of Hamas who were potential candidates to the legislative elections.
The rally organized by Hamas to celebrate the withdrawal from the occupied territories became a drama. Several witnesses gave their testimonies about the shots made by Israeli radio-controlled airplanes. The Palestinian resistance responded to this attack with scattered shots in the city of Sderot despite the truce decreed by Hamas.
General Ziv (photo), chief of operations in the Israeli army headquarters, took the opportunity of this new escalation of tension prepared for long time, and stated that “the fight against Palestinian terrorist movements in the West Bank did not have time limits”. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon added “there would not be any limitation as to the means used to put an end to its actions”. During a recent meeting of the Cabinet, the Israeli government confirmed outright its desire to use again its method of “selective killings”. It should be recalled that general Sharon himself began his career as chief of the Unit 101, a comando in charge of killing civilians in 1949 to terrorize the Palestinian population and force it to exodus.

Ossama Lotfy