Abbas: Israel to blame for escalation
Palestinian leader says Israel responsible for latest escalation in violence, after five Palestinians killed by IDF, rockets land in Sderot, Galilee. Abbas demands international community condemn Israel
On Thursday, rockets landed in the southern town of Sderot and in a northern community.
Abbas charged Israel was "undermining the efforts to maintain calm, which the Palestinian side committed itself to," and demanded the international community condemn Israel and hold it responsible for its actions.
Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said the Israeli operation in Tul Karem, where the five Palestinians were killed, was a "cruel act that attests to the fact Israel is not interested in calming tensions."
Popular Resistance Committees claim responsibility
The Salah a-Din Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was a response to Israel's "slaughter" in Tul Karem.
"The crime this morning, the continuation of the security fence construction, and West Bank settlement expansion are dangerous acts by Israel and I call on the international community not to preoccupy itself with the disengagement plan and stop ignoring Israel's actions," said Mohammed abd-Awl , a spokesman for the group.
Awl also told Ynet the rocket attack shouldn't worry the PA.
"We committed ourselves to the period of calm, and this is our first response to the murders in Shfaram and Shilo, as well as this morning.
"We agreed to the truce from a position of strength, not weakness. Palestinian blood is not cheap, and we will not allow Israel to act against our brothers in the West Bank while pulling out of Gaza."
"The Israelis don't threaten us and they don't scare us," he said. "This time, we kicked them out of here while their soldiers were still alive, but if they decide to stay we will make sure the next time, they run away in coffins."
Hamas promises 'painful lesson'
Hamas, too, threatened to avenge the IDF maneuver in Tul Karem.
"After this action in Tul Karem, all options remain open to Palestinian organizations in order to teach Israel a painful lesson in reaction to this crime," said group spokesman Moshir al-Masri.
Al-Masri added that "the Zionist enemy is playing with the lives of its soldiers and settlers when it carries out crimes like this, which testify to the cruel and bloodthirsty nature of an enemy that only knows how to kill anything Palestinian."
"We didn't shoot at Israeli soldiers during the pullout in order to make sure it was completed. But the crimes in Shfaram and Tul Karem prove Israel's duplicity."
