A convoy of Israeli army armoured
vehicles rolls towards Gaza Strip, near Kibbutz Nahal Oz June 20, 2007.
Israel attacked Islamist fighters in Gaza on Wednesday for the first time
since Hamas seized the territory, and ended an embargo of the Palestinian
Authority by opening contacts with a new government in the West Bank.
(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
RAMALLAH, June 23 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army forces stormed the villages near the city of Ramallah early Saturday and detained senior Islamic Hamas leader Salleh al-Aarouri at his home, witnesses reported.
They said that several Israeli army
jeeps surrounded al-Aarouri's house in the village of Aarourah, and then the
soldiers broke inside, searched into the house and took him into custody.
He was released from an Israeli jail
three month ago.
Several hours before his arrest,
al-Aarouri said that solving "Palestinian disputes and differences can't be
ended by force, but by getting back to the negotiation table," local media
reported.
"We can never accept ending the
difference, in Gaza, between Fatah and Hamas, militarily, by the power of arms,"
al-Aarouri said, noting that "there is no argument on the rightfulness of
elected President Mahmoud Abbas."
Al-Aarouri also revealed that during
the armed fighting in Gaza, leaders of his movement kept in contact with senior
Palestinian National Authority (PNA) officials and senior security chiefs in a
bid to block armed fighting in the West Bank.
Last week, Islamic Hamas movement
took control of all the PNA security headquarters, including the house and
office of Abbas in the Gaza Strip.
In response, Abbas dissolved Hamas
national unity government and decreed to form an emergency government in the
West Bank. Abbas refused to hold any talks with either Ismail Haneya or other
Hamas political leaders.
JERUSALEM, June 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian National Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas
will meet at a four-way summit held in Egypt next week, Israel's Army Radio
reported Thursday.
The report said the summit will be held in the Red
Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh in Sinai next Monday, with the attendance of
Jordanian King Abdullah II, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak along with the
Israeli and Palestinian leaders. Full story
RAMALLAH, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President
Mahmoud Abbas Wednesday accused Hamas' exiled leader Khaled Meshaal, who is
based in Damascus, of involving in plotting assassination against him.
Abbas was addressing a tough speech before members of
the Central Council of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was held
in this West Bank city to discuss the situation in the Gaza Strip after Hamas
militants controlled it. Full story
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