Palestinian extremist groups killed four Israeli soldiers in a dawn attack in Gaza yesterday, and a fifth was killed in Hebron, precipitating a crisis for the fledgling government of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and for the newly launched ”road map” toward peace in the Middle East. Five Palestinian gunmen involved in the attacks also were killed. It was the bloodiest day in the occupied territories since last Wednesday’s summit meeting of the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers with President Bush in Aqaba, Jordan, to discuss the road map. The meeting’s results were hailed by many Western and Arab leaders but were dismissed by longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and groups dedicated to wiping out Israel. The attacks yesterday precipitated an immediate crisis for Abbas, who appears unwilling — and perhaps is unable — to confront with force those groups that are continuing to use violence in the face of the prime minister’s insistence on a cease-fire and on demilitarization of the Palestinian struggle for self-determination. ”Nobody knows what we should do next,” said Brigadier Mohammad al Masri, chief of the political security department of the Palestinian intelligence services in Gaza. ”Only God knows what will happen. The situation has become too complicated.” Full Story
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