Responsibility for Jerusalem attack still ambiguous

Who ordered the attack on Mercaz Harav yeshiva in Jerusalem? Hamas may not have claimed responsibility for the attack officially, but the organization is utilizing its aftermath for propaganda.

Hamas radio broadcasted  Friday a statement in which the organization claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a "jolting response to the violence in Gaza in which more than 120 Palestinians were killed," and calling on all Hamas supporters to "celebrate this victory against the brutal enemy."

Shortly after that, the radio station reported Hamas had gone back on the claim – "for now".

The Palestinian Authority and the various organizations in the Strip are still trying to find out who sent the gunmen - Alaa Abu Dheim from Jabel Mukaber, a neighborhood in east Jerusalem - to carry out the attack.

Dheim and his family are known as Hamas supporters, but security officials in the PA believe that the order came from Hizbullah.

The Lebanese link

The Lebanese-based organization is believed to have employed Palestinian contractors, one of whom was Muhammad Shada– an Islamic Jihad operative known for his ties with Hizbullah,

Shada left the Jihad in the past, crossing over to Fatah lines only to return to Jihad ranks several years after that. He also reportedly converted form Sunni Islam – like most, of not all, Palestinians – to Shia Islam, which is the religious denomination of Hizbullah.

According to the Palestinians' leads, Dheim carried out the attack under Shada's orders, after the latter received orders and funding for Hizbullah.

The Palestinian security establishment is also looking into the possibility that a Fatah operative from Bethlehem was also involved in the attack.

Should Hamas be implicated in ordering or carrying out the attack in Jerusalem, the Palestinian security establishment estimates the group may choose not to make its involvement public.

A security source in the PA said that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's claim that the Palestinian Authority is not doing what it can to curb terror is ridiculous, since the perpetrator was as Israeli citizen, coming out of Israeli territory.

The possibility of the attack being a lone, independent act is unlikely, added the source – Dheim's weapons and ammunition would have cost some NIS 20,000 ($5,500) – not exactly pocket change for a 20-year old from a small east Jerusalem neighborhood.