Gotta love the Isreali’s, they know that the only way to fight terrorism is not capitulating, cough Spain cough, but fighting back:
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Wednesday that Israel will halt its assassinations of commanders of Palestinian terror organizations the day that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas begins to curb terrorism originating in the Gaza Strip.
“It is not our goal to continue this activity,” Shalom said, referring to the assassination policy. It can end immediately. “It’s all up to Abu Mazen [Abbas]. If Abu Mazen takes the strategic decision to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, and keeps them from carrying out this activity in Gaza, believe me, that same day all this business in Gaza will end.”
As armed Palestinians groups denounced a Tuesday Israel Air Force missile strike Tuesday which killed a Hamas and a Fatah commander, Hamas vowed revenge, but said it was still undecided whether it would end a nine-month old relative ceasefire, Israel Radio reported Wednesday.
The two, Fatah man Hassan Al-Madhoun, 32, and Hamas operative Fawzi Abu al-Qarea, 37, were killed in the air strike on the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip. At least 10 people were wounded, medics said.
Madhoun, the main target of the raid, was a top fugitive whom Israel has accused of planning deadly bombings at Ashdod port and the Karni crossing between Gaza and Israel. Ten Israelis were killed in the Ashdod attack in 2004. He was also responsible for attempting to send a female suicide bomber from Gaza to Be’er Sheva’s Soroka Medical Center.
“We are in a state of continual war, Shalom told Israel Radio. “When we left Gaza, we stated that once we left, all [terror] activity within Gaza would be met with a very harsh response from Israel. Since there is still Qassam rocket fire directed at the state of Israel, this cannot be left without a response.”
“There cannot be a situation in which the residents of Sderot, the Negev and Ashkelon are unable to sleep at night, while the chiefs of terror are allowed to sleep at night.
Hamas has declared that it would maintain its commitment to protecting the Palestinian people from all types of attacks, but did not elaborate.
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