Palestinian groups still rally to murder Israeli leaders;
It makes one wonder what Bush would say if they threatened to murder Powell?
Sunday, November 11, 2001 Cheshvan 25, 5762 Israel Time: 00:39 (GMT+2)
Last update - 18:45 10/11/2001
PFLP leader promises more attacks on Israeli politicians
By Amos Harel, Ha'aretz Correspondent, and Ha'aretz Service
The Secretary-General of the militant organization The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said Saturday morning that his organization would continue to target Israeli politicians as well as civilian and military targets, Army Radio said Saturday. The attacks would come, he said, in retribution for Israel's assassination of the PFLP's former leader Abu Ali Mustafa last August.
From his hiding place in the West Bank, Ahmed Sadat told the London-based daily Qal al-Arav, that "the assassination of [Tourism Minister Re'havam] Ze'evi [on October 17] was not the end. We will keep targeting political figures."
The leader added that his organization will also hit any Palestinian or Muslim institutions endeavoring to end the intifada. Sadat's comments follow his statements last week that Ze'evi's assassins had a long criminal background.
Meanwhile, Ami Ayalon, former director of the Shin Bet, said in an interview to Army Radio on Friday night that "the murder of minister Ze'evi should have been foreseen sooner or later." Ayalon added that "there is a direct link between our actions and policy to the operational processes of the [Palestinians]. This connection is clear to Israeli decision-makers and it has been taken into consideration during recent policy making." He emphasized that the government could execute certain policies even if they proved to be costly.
Ministers warned of future assassination attempts
Defense Minister Benjamin-Ben Eliezer has not stayed in his home for a number of days as a result of a request from the Shin Bet security service stemming from warnings of an attempt to harm him, Ynet, the Web site of newspaper Yedioth Aharonoth, reported Friday.
The Shin Bet has also asked Ben-Eliezer to make changes in his daily schedule in order to "break routine."
The security service also recently instructed Minister without Portfolio Dan Naveh and his family to leave their home due to concrete information on plans by terrorists to assassinate him.
Naveh and his family left their home a few days ago and moved into another apartment in the center of the country. It appears that they will not be permitted to return home for quite some time.
Channel Two Television reported Thursday that the Shin Bet had issued the order to Naveh following specific information received by the intelligence community. This is the first time an official has been told to leave his home in the wake of a warning of this nature.
Many of the recent numerous warnings of plans by Palestinian organizations to assassinate senior public figures concern individuals living close to the Green Line, such as former prime minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, both of whom live in Kochav Yair near the West Bank city of Qalqilyah, and Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, who lives in Nataf near Jerusalem. Security for these individuals has been beefed up as a result.
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