For first time, Israel charges West Bank Palestinians with al-Qaeda link
Israel linked West Bank Palestinians with the al-Qaeda network for the first time when a military court charged two youths with receiving funds from the jihad group to carry out a coordinated double bombing in Jerusalem. The Palestinians, from the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, met with al-Qaeda operatives in Jordan, arranged for secret e-mail communication, opened a bank account and received 3,000 Jordanian dinars ($4,240, ¤3,490) from al-Qaeda to carry out the Jerusalem attack, according to the indictment, released Tuesday. The indictment comes just weeks after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said al-Qaeda was trying to recruit West Bank and Gaza Palestinians. Abbas said his security forces “are trying with all means to prevent their (al-Qaeda’s) arrival here, or their carrying out any … acts in this region.” Full Story