Israeli media covering for 'peace partner'?

JERUSALEM – Are the Israeli media failing to report responsibility for a terror
attack yesterday for which Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas'
so-called military wing publicly took credit?

While the Hamas terror organization has been enforcing a 3-month truce with Israel in Gaza, Abbas' "military wing," the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group, took credit for firing a Qassam rocket from the territory aimed at nearby population centers.

"We will not respect the cease fire and will continue to launch attacks against the Zionist enemy," stated a pamphlet faxed to WND by Fatah's Brigades.

A top Fatah Brigades commander in Gaza said his group fired a Qassam rocket from Gaza along with the Islamic Jihad terror group.

The commander said his Fatah Brigades group faxed the pamphlet claiming credit for yesterday's rocket attack to several news agencies, including Israeli media outlets.

But Israeli newspapers and television networks only reported Islamic Jihad fired the rocket.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper, for example, featured an article titled "Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for Qassam attack on Sderot."

Similar reports appeared on the website of Yediot Aharonot, Israel's leading newspaper, and on the popular Army Radio.

Israeli policy considers Fatah to be moderate. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is leading intense negotiations aimed at handing Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas strategic territory to create a Palestinian state.

Just yesterday, Olmert announced he has come to the conclusion he must cede territory to the PA.

"I thought that land from the Jordan River through to the sea was all ours, but ultimately, after a long and tortured process, I arrived at the conclusion that we must share with those we live with, if we don't want to be a bi-national state," he said at a Knesset meeting.

In a dramatic statement, Olmert declared "Greater Israel" is over.

"Greater Israel is over. There is no such thing. Anyone who talks that way is deluding themselves," Olmert stated.

Greater Israel is a reference to territories recaptured by Israel during the 1967 Six Day War, including the Gaza Strip, West Bank and eastern sections of Jerusalem. The Temple Mount is located in eastern Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak announced in response to yesterday's Qassam attack that all Israel-Gaza border crossings are closed. He said the border closures will be reassessed later in the week.

To interview Aaron Klein, contact M. Sliwa Public Relations by e-mail, or call 973-272-2861 or
212-202-4453.