From a Bridges for Peace News Letter:
1) PALESTINIAN ANARCHY UNLEASHED IN GAZA
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian gunmen have again gone on the rampage. In a pre-dawn attack, they stormed the home of Moussa Arafat and, after a thirty-minute gun battle, dragged him into the street and shot him to death. Moussa Arafat, currently an advisor to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), was one of the most unpopular officials in the Gaza Strip notorious for corruption and torturing other Palestinians in the past.
In another incident, Palestinian rioters tried to storm an Israeli tank as the Israel Defense Force (IDF) prepared to withdraw, after the settlements had been evacuated.
"The Gaza Strip is now the baby of Abbas." That's the reaction of deputy premier Shimon Peres to the two Palestinian acts of violence, which have threatened law and order over the past 24 hours. First, a mob of Palestinian demonstrators broke through the security fence and tried to storm an Israeli tank. In fending off the rioters, Israeli troops fired warning shots but to no avail. One Palestinian was killed.
In a second incident, Palestinian terrorists executed Moussa Arafat, a leading Palestinian official and a close relative of Yasser Arafat. Moussa Arafat was dragged from his home and riddled with 25 bullets. The Popular Resistance Committee charged him with corruption.
Although lawlessness is not new to the Palestinian street, the latest incidents pose a serious challenge to the rule of Abbas. Peres says Abbas must start backing up his motto of 'One gun, one authority.' Otherwise, Peres warns the anarchy will devour Palestinian society.
At a briefing of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, a senior IDF intelligence officer said Palestinian police succeeded in blocking a first wave of Palestinian rioters from storming an IDF tank as the military prepared to withdraw. However, a second wave of several dozen broke through and started climbing on the tank. That's when IDF forces opened fire killing one of the rioters.
The IDF expects to complete the evacuation of its installations by September 15th. The officer went on to say a much smaller IDF force would be required to be stationed on the Gaza border after its evacuation.
In addition, over US$20 million dollars is being invested in reinforcing Israeli towns and villages that might come under Palestinian shelling attacks in the future. The "Red Dawn" early warning system to warn of incoming Kassam rockets and mortars is to be extended along the entire Gaza frontier. The radar system that sounds sirens to warn civilians to take cover has proved to be highly successful in the town of Sderot, which has been a favorite Palestinian target.
(By David Essing, ISRACAST, September 8, 2005)
PRAYER FOCUS
Pray for the protection of Israeli soldiers and citizens against violence, kidnappings, and shellings. Pray the Palestinian civilians who live under the rule of violent leadership.
SCRIPTURE
"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan" (Proverbs 29:2).
1) PALESTINIAN ANARCHY UNLEASHED IN GAZA
In the Gaza Strip, Palestinian gunmen have again gone on the rampage. In a pre-dawn attack, they stormed the home of Moussa Arafat and, after a thirty-minute gun battle, dragged him into the street and shot him to death. Moussa Arafat, currently an advisor to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), was one of the most unpopular officials in the Gaza Strip notorious for corruption and torturing other Palestinians in the past.
In another incident, Palestinian rioters tried to storm an Israeli tank as the Israel Defense Force (IDF) prepared to withdraw, after the settlements had been evacuated.
"The Gaza Strip is now the baby of Abbas." That's the reaction of deputy premier Shimon Peres to the two Palestinian acts of violence, which have threatened law and order over the past 24 hours. First, a mob of Palestinian demonstrators broke through the security fence and tried to storm an Israeli tank. In fending off the rioters, Israeli troops fired warning shots but to no avail. One Palestinian was killed.
In a second incident, Palestinian terrorists executed Moussa Arafat, a leading Palestinian official and a close relative of Yasser Arafat. Moussa Arafat was dragged from his home and riddled with 25 bullets. The Popular Resistance Committee charged him with corruption.
Although lawlessness is not new to the Palestinian street, the latest incidents pose a serious challenge to the rule of Abbas. Peres says Abbas must start backing up his motto of 'One gun, one authority.' Otherwise, Peres warns the anarchy will devour Palestinian society.
At a briefing of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, a senior IDF intelligence officer said Palestinian police succeeded in blocking a first wave of Palestinian rioters from storming an IDF tank as the military prepared to withdraw. However, a second wave of several dozen broke through and started climbing on the tank. That's when IDF forces opened fire killing one of the rioters.
The IDF expects to complete the evacuation of its installations by September 15th. The officer went on to say a much smaller IDF force would be required to be stationed on the Gaza border after its evacuation.
In addition, over US$20 million dollars is being invested in reinforcing Israeli towns and villages that might come under Palestinian shelling attacks in the future. The "Red Dawn" early warning system to warn of incoming Kassam rockets and mortars is to be extended along the entire Gaza frontier. The radar system that sounds sirens to warn civilians to take cover has proved to be highly successful in the town of Sderot, which has been a favorite Palestinian target.
(By David Essing, ISRACAST, September 8, 2005)
PRAYER FOCUS
Pray for the protection of Israeli soldiers and citizens against violence, kidnappings, and shellings. Pray the Palestinian civilians who live under the rule of violent leadership.
SCRIPTURE
"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when a wicked man rules, the people groan" (Proverbs 29:2).
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