RAMALLAH, West Bank, 27 August 2003 — Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas yesterday slammed Israel’s decision to allow “Jewish extremists” to enter Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound as a recipe for more violence. “This inciteful policy is a recipe for friction and violence,” Abbas said in a statement. “We all know the consequences of such action from previous incidents in 2000,” he added.
The Palestinian intifada, or uprising, erupted in September 2000 following a controversial visit to the mosque compound by the then Israeli opposition leader and now prime minister, Ariel Sharon.
“At a time when efforts are channeled to contain a security crisis and return to calm, the Israeli government is igniting the most sensitive issue in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Abbas added.
Meanwhile, one person was killed and more than 20 others wounded yesterday in an Israeli helicopter strike in the northern Gaza Strip, the third such attack in five days, Palestinian security sources said.
The strike came as Abbas arrived in Gaza for meetings today with the moderate Palestinian leadership mulling how to seize the initiative in cracking down on militant groups.
Palestinian sources said two attack helicopters fired a volley of rockets just outside the town of Jabalya, where a major refugee camp is located, as Israel pressed its campaign to wipe out Palestinian militants.
One car was completely destroyed but the three or four occupants appeared to have escaped. Several other cars were also damaged.
Hundreds of people rushed to help the victims, but no further details were available. The dead person was identified as Hassan Al Hamalawy, a local resident with no known ties to any Palestinian group.
Sources in the radical group Hamas said the target was one of their political officials, who escaped. But Israeli public radio said the raid was aimed at an expert in building Qassam rockets lobbed by militants from Gaza into Israel.
The Israeli Army refused immediate comment on the raid.
Palestinian sources said one person was killed and at least 20 wounded, including several women and children, in the attack two days after four Hamas members were killed by rocket fire.
