Start your day with intelligence. Get The OODA Daily Pulse.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement will discuss whether to dismantle an armed wing behind suicide bombings on Israelis, Arafat’s security adviser said Wednesday. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed a bus bombing that killed eight passengers aboard a Jerusalem bus Sunday, before later denying involvement after Arafat condemned the attack and vowed to crack down on “irresponsible militants.” Arafat’s security adviser, Jibril al-Rajoub, was asked in an interview on Israel Radio whether the question of dismantling the al-Aqsa Brigades would come up at a meeting of Fatah’s Revolutionary Council Wednesday. “We must discuss this matter,” he replied, adding that Fatah leaders were determined they “would not allow any fragment or individual to dictate anything to the movement or its leadership.” Sunday’s attack embarrassed mainstream Palestinian leaders on the eve of World Court hearings into the legality of a barrier that Israel is building in the West Bank and says should stop such attacks. Palestinians call it an illegal land-grab. Full Story