U.S. contemplating more weapons to Palestinians

JERUSALEM – After the Hamas terror group's takeover of U.S.-backed Palestinian security compounds in Gaza and seizure of large quantities of American weapons, the Bush administration is contemplating sending more weapons to the Palestinians and is asking Israel to make security concessions to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli and Palestinian diplomatic sources told WND today.

According to the diplomatic sources, U.S. and European Union officials are making plans to transfer emergency aid to Abbas' Fatah party to secure its grasp on the West Bank after Hamas this week took complete control of the Gaza Strip, including all Fatah security compounds, many of which contained American weapons. The proposed aid to Fatah in the West Bank entails providing both funds and heavy weaponry, the diplomatic sources said.

In the wake of the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, U.S. government spokesmen said yesterday the Bush administration will work to prevent the violence from spilling over to the West Bank, which borders Jerusalem and is within rocket firing range of Tel Aviv.

Diplomatic sources said the U.S. is expected to urge Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians in the West Bank so Abbas can claim achievements at a time his rule is being thrust into question. Israel will be asked, among other things, to dismantle anti-terror West Bank checkpoints and unfreeze tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue the Israeli government has held from the Palestinians for fear the money will be used to fund terrorism, the sources said.

The diplomatic sources said the U.S. is attempting to separate the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip from the West Bank. Abbas has more of a grasp in the West Bank, but he could lose the territory to Hamas if fighting broke out there.

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Palestinian security sources told WND that Abbas yesterday requested emergency funds and large quantities of weapons from the U.S. According to the sources, a small convoy of American supplies was already delivered yesterday to Fatah compounds in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The convoy contained light equipment, including military boots and ammunition but no heavy weaponry, the sources said.

Reports the U.S. may send more weapons to Fatah comes after Hamas in the last few days took complete control of Fatah security compounds containing American weapons and, according to Hamas members, U.S. intelligence documents.

The U.S. in the past year has given large quantities of weapons to bolster Fatah in clashes against Hamas. Hamas officials repeatedly told WND they would seize any American weaponry provided to Fatah in Gaza.

Hamas' Al Aqsa Television yesterday and today broadcast footage of Hamas gunmen brandishing American assault rifles, rocket-propelled grenades, rocket launchers and ammunition the U.S. reportedly provided to Fatah over the past few months. Hamas fighters also showed what they said were 10 American-provided armored personnel carriers the terror group said it seized from U.S.-backed Fatah security compounds it took over Tuesday.

Abu Abdullah, a senior member of Hamas' so-called military wing commented, "We informed you many times we would obtain all American arms brought to Gaza in the conspiracy against our government."

Last night, Hamas gained control of the last of Fatah's security compounds in Gaza, including the Ansar complex, where most American weapons were delivered and stored, and Abbas' presidential guard complex.

Abdullah said Hamas is now "swimming" in American weapons.

"We have no worries about running out of weapons or ammunition thanks to your American government," Abdullah told WND today.

Most of the American aid and weapons were transferred to Fatah's Force 17 fighters unit, which serve as Abbas' guards and de facto police officers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Many members of Force 17 are openly members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, Fatah's declared "military wing" which took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years. The Jewish state regularly arrests Force 17 members accused of carrying out shooting attacks against Israelis.

Also yesterday, WND broke the story that terrorist groups, including Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees, claim they seized large quantities of CIA security files stored at major Fatah compounds.

The terror leaders claimed the files contain, among other information, details of CIA networks in the Middle East.

"The CIA files we seized, which include documents, CDs, taped conversations and videos, are more important than all the American weapons we obtained the last two days as we took over the traitor Fatah's positions," said Muhammad Abdel-El, spokesman for the Hamas-allied Popular Resistance Committees terror group.

The Committees has been accused of carrying out anti-U.S. attacks, including a 2003 bombing of an American convoy in Gaza that killed three U.S. contractors.

Hamas and Popular Resistance Committees leaders told WND upon taking over Gaza City's Fatah compounds, particularly the Preventative Security Services building and intelligence compound, they seized the purported CIA files and that prior to Hamas' advances, Fatah officials attempted to destroy the CIA files but only succeeded in eliminating some.

U.S. security coordinators the past few years maintained a presence at Fatah's Gaza headquarters.

Hamas' Abu Abdullah said, "Now our job is to study these files, which are already showing that they are crucial for our fight against the Zionists and anyone who collaborates with them, including the Americans."

Abdullah said the CIA documents they browsed so far contain "information about the collaboration between Fatah and the Israeli and American security organizations; CIA methods on how to prevent attacks, chase and follow after cells of Hamas and the Committees; plans about Fatah assassinations of members of Hamas and other organizations; and American studies on the security situation in Gaza."

Abdullah claimed the documents also detailed CIA networks in other Arab countries and "how to help beat Islamic allies of Hamas in other Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan."

"We will use these documents and make portions public to prove the collaboration between America and traitor Arab countries," Abdullah said.

Committees spokesman Abdel El told WND he was sitting in a Gaza mosque yesterday pouring through some of the files on the Committees when he found his name mentioned in the documents four times.

"I am amazed by the material and the context of the documents," he said.

Abbas dismantles Palestinian government

Abbas last night unilaterally dismantled the Hamas-led Palestinian government and installed a new prime minister, former Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad, who is respected by the international community.

Hamas January won the majority of parliament seats in Palestinian elections in January 2006, but as PA president, Abbas has the legal authority to dismantle the government and install a new leadership for up to 90 days in an emergency capacity. Abbas can extend the rule of the so-called emergency government indefinitely, according to Palestinian government rules.

But Hamas, which now controls Gaza, said Abbas' decision to dismantle the government was "illegitimate."

"Abbas cannot make such a move without coordinating with us," said Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh. "I still affirm that the road is open and wide to reformulating these relations on a firm nationalistic basis," Haniyeh said, speaking after Muslim Friday prayers in Gaza City.

Hamas today announced it plans to seize control of the Rafah crossing, the main border terminal between Egypt and Gaza and the site of rampant weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli officials. The crossing is supposed to be monitored by a joint Egyptian-European taskforce, but the European monitors have fled their stations.

According to security sources in Gaza, Hamas already controls the Rafah crossing, but the terror group's announcement, they said, simply seeks to make their control official.

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