PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas has warned that al-Qaeda has infiltrated the West Bank and Gaza, from where it could launch “disastrous” attacks on Israel and its neighbours. Israeli army officers and intelligence analysts have already warned several times over the past year that al-Qaeda has established cells in the Palestinian territories — a claim that the Palestinians have denied. But in an interview with al-Hayat newspaper, Mr Abbas admitted that Palestinian security forces had picked up traces of al-Qaeda operatives. Full Story