Grab the popcorn, because I suspect Hamas and the PA are going to go at it soon. At least, I really hope so.
The military wing of Hamas, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, on Wednesday claimed that the Palestinian Authority provided the lead that helped Israel track down and kill Ahmed Jarrar, the terrorist suspected of heading the cell that killed Rabbi Raziel Shevach last month.
Meanwhile, Hamas and other Palestinian groups renewed their demand for an end to security coordination between the PA and Israel.
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A video posted on the Al Qassam website claimed that immediately after Shevach was shot dead on January 9 in the northern West Bank, Israel and the PA began working together to identify the perpetrators.
“The Palestinian Authority provided the lead to the enemy,” the video charged.
It said that after becoming aware of the PA’s collaboration with Israel, Jarrar began preparing himself for a “confrontation” with the IDF.
According to the Al Qassam video, Jarrar managed to evade capture during an IDF raid on January 17.
During that operation, Jarrar’s cousin, who is also called Ahmed, was shot dead.
Let me just stop there for a second.
I couldn’t resist.
A senior PA security official in Ramallah strongly denied the Hamas claims as “fabrications” and “lies.”
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Another top Hamas official, Ismail Al Ashkar, said that his movement was convinced that security coordination between the PA and Israel had “played a major role” in tracking down Jarrar.
“Our people and our factions need to take a stance against this security coordination,” Al Askar added.
Abu Mujahed, spokesman for the Palestinian Resistance Committees, a coalition of various terror groups in the Gaza Strip, claimed that were it not for the security coordination, Israel would not have been able to track down and kill Jarrar.
“Security coordination with Israel must end for once and for all,” Abu Mujahed told the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Mayadeen TV station.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine also repeated their appeal to the PA to end all forms of security cooperation with Israel in wake of the killing of Jarrar.
What is interesting is that Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party honored Jarrar as a martyr.
