Turning in weapons
Photo: AFP
Wanted men 'dupe Israel on weapons deal'
Al-Aqsa operatives who were granted amnesty have not turned in all weapons, some have not even signed pledge to renounce terror
Most members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades group granted amnesty last month by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert have not turned in all their weapons despite of media reports to the contrary, while some haven't even signed their amnesty contracts, WND has learned.
Part of the amnesty deal required the 178 terrorists – all of whom are members of the Brigades, the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization – to disarm and to sign a document stating they would not carry out terror attacks.
PA claims
Associated Press
Palestinian security official says all but three al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades gunmen surrender weapons, swear off violence as part of deal with Israel
Meanwhile, Palestinian diplomatic officials yesterday said Olmert officials told them the prime minister would strongly consider granting amnesty to 208 more al-Aqsa Brigades members and would study allowing the return to the West Bank of senior terrorist leaders deported in 2002 after they barricaded themselves in Bethlehem's Church of Nativity five years ago.
The al-Aqsa Brigades took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past three years.
Last month, Olmert granted amnesty to a list of 178 Fatah militants who comprise much of the senior leadership of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Israel issued documents for the Fatah fugitives to sign, pledging their resignation from any so-called paramilitary organizations and promising to refrain from terrorism.
The wanted militants also were required to turn in their weapons, spend a week in a PA holding area and restrict their movements to the area in which they reside for three months. After a three-month period, they would be allowed to move freely throughout the West Bank.
Since most wanted militants have been confined to their residential areas the past few years anyway due to the threat of Israeli operations, the deal effectively grants them freedom of movement for the first time. In exchange, Israel pledged it would not conduct anti-terror operations to capture the wanted militants.
Operatives turned in one weapon, kept others
According to statements by Palestinian officials and reports by the media, most terrorists turned in their weapons in line with the deal. A widely circulated AP article quoted a senior Palestinian security official stating "all but three al-Aqsa members have surrendered their weapons and sworn off violence, as part of the arrangement."But calls Monday to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades members granted amnesty yielded a much different story.
Abu Yousuf, a senior leader of the Brigades in Ramallah, told WND most Brigades members turned in one of several pieces of weaponry they possess. He said most Brigades members have two to three guns, including one to two personal weapons and one assault rifle issued by the PA, since the majority of Brigades members are also members of Fatah's security forces.
"It's true Brigades members turned in one of their weapons as a symbolic act, but they kept the others," he said.
Yousuf is suspected of shooting at Israeli forces operating in Ramallah. He carried out a shooting attack in northern Samaria in December 2000 that killed Benyamin Kahane, leader of the nationalist Kahane Chai organization.
Ala Senakreh, overall chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the West Bank and one of the terrorists granted amnesty, said he turned in one of his three weapons. He said the one weapon he turned in to the PA is "easily accessible."
"It's close by and available to me anytime I need an additional weapon," he said.
Senakreh said aside from "protecting" himself from Israel, weapons were also needed for protection from rival clans and members of Palestinian families of suspected "Israeli collaborators" killed in recent years by the Brigades.
"We killed several collaborators, so now I am a walking target. What if one of the family members tries to take revenge?" he asked. Kamal Ranam, chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Ramallah, said he turned in one of his weapons.
Not all amnesty deals signed
Not all Brigades members signed their amnesty deals. Nasser Abu Aziz, the No. 2 leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Senakreh's main deputy, told WND he will not sign the agreement, calling the deal "an Israeli trick.""I am sure this is part of an Israeli conspiracy against our fighters," Aziz said.
The Brigades' admitted failure to keep their side of the amnesty deal is well-known to the Israeli security apparatus. According to security sources, members of the Israel Defense Forces military intelligence unit explained to diplomats most of the Brigades members did not disarm.
But according to senior Palestinian officials, Olmert officials said the prime minister would strongly consider granting amnesty to 206 Fatah fighters, mostly Brigades members, who haven't yet officially received amnesty. Some of the 206 are senior Brigades commanders, but most are mid-level militants.
During yesterday's meeting between Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas , Olmert promised to consider Abbas' request for the return to the West Bank of dozens of senior terrorists who took refuge in the Church of the Nativity to avoid a pending Israeli anti-terror operation in the city.
