Fatah group hails 'heroic' J'lem attack

Group expresses "astonishment" over statement that was issued by Abbas condemning the attack.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
fatah gunmen 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
fatah gunmen 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Fatah's armed wing, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades, on Sunday welcomed the killing of the eight yeshiva students in Jerusalem and lashed out at Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for condemning the shooting attack. In a statement issued in Ramallah, the group, which was reportedly dismantled several months ago, also called on Abbas not to resume peace talks with Israel. It also called on him to halt security coordination with Israel. Referring to Thursday's attack at the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva, the group said the "option of resistance remains the only method to restore our rights, free our prisoners and liberate all our lands." Expressing its full support for the attack, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades described it as an "heroic" operation that came in response to "Israeli atrocities." The group also called for carrying out more attacks against Israel. The group expressed "astonishment" over a statement that was issued by Abbas condemning the Jerusalem attack. It urged him to release all the Aksa Martyrs Brigades gunmen who were being held in PA security installations in the West Bank and to hand them back their weapons so they could resume their attacks on Israel.