A group of about 15 Palestinian gunmen early Thursday entered the Jenin prison in the West Bank and freed seven Islamic activists held there, a Palestinian police source said, according to AFP.
The gunmen fired shots in the air and the Palestinian police put up no resistance. Six of the prisoners released belonged to Hamas and one to Islamic Jihad.
According to Palestinian reports, occupation troops nabbed a Hamas operative in Hebron Thursday afternoon. The man, a resident of Palestinian Authority controlled Abu Sneneh neighborhood, is a member of Hamas' military wing, Israel Radio reported.
Ben Eliezer
Meanwhile, during his U.S. visit, Israeli Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer told U.S. officials Wednesday night that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is not a partner for negotiations and urged the U.S. administration to begin talks with more "realistic" Palestinian leaders.
Ben-Eliezer told U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that Arafat is surrounded by far more realistic leaders who are opposed to the chairman's leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
He named Palestinian parliamentary speaker Ahmed Qurei (Abu Ala), top Palestinian negotiator Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), West Bank Preventive Security chief Jibril Rajoub and his counterpart in the Gaza Strip Mohammed Dahlan as some of the alternatives to Arafat, according to HaAretz daily.
AFP quoted Arafat Wednesday as saying that Abu Ala would replace him as chairman if he were to "disappear," while Abu Mazen would take over at the helm of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Arafat told the UAE newspaper Al Ittihad and the Egyptian weekly Al Musawar that, "the head of the Palestinian Legislative Council [Abu Ala] will replace me for a period of 60 days until new elections can be held."
Arafat added, "The general secretary of the PLO executive committee [Abu Mazen] will become head of the PLO, and serve in that role until the election of a new president."
Arafat accused Israel of promoting Rajoub and Dahlan as his possible successors. Israel is citing these names "so that I will get rid of them," Arafat said. "They [Israelis] want to sow dissent between us, but Rajoub and Dahlan are close to my heart."
Cheney
U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Israel and eight Arab countries in mid-March as Washington tries to look past the cycle of violence to potential peacemaking. He is not however expected to visit the Palestinian-controlled areas.
The visit will follow one by CIA Director George Tenet. Administration officials termed Tenet's effort routine business, not designed to broker a new cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
