Ten Israelis hurt in drive-by shooting

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (BAHRAIN) AUG. 5 Ten Israelis were reportedly injured in a drive-by shooting in Tel Aviv today. This attack is presumed to be in retaliation for two recent attempts - one successful, one not - by Israel to liquidate key Palestinian operatives. Ironically, Israel has reason to believe that today's attack demonstrates the success of their assassination policy.

Few details are known of today's drive-by shooting except that most of the injured appeared to be soldiers. This attack follows yesterday's attempt by Israel to target key operatives of the Fatah faction in a missile attack in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Yesterday, the Israeli missiles struck a car just outside the office of the Fatah Secretary-General for the West Bank, Mr. Marwan Barghouti, and the Palestinians are convinced that he was the target. Israel has in the past accused Mr. Barghouti of not just co-ordinating protest demonstrations and riots but also of arming various Palestinian factions and encouraging them to attack Israelis, including civilians.

However, Israel has sought to claim that it was not Mr. Barghouti but another Fatah operative, Mr. Mohanad Abu Halaweh, who was in the car just before it was hit, who was the target. Two missiles were fired at the car and when the first missed, Mr. Halaweh quickly flung himself out of the vehicle. He suffered burn injuries. This attempt, whether on Mr. Barghouti or on Mr. Halaweh was the second time in less than a week that Israel sought to liquidate key Palestinian operatives. A few days earlier, Israel had fired missiles into a Nablus office killing six Hamas men who they have accused of operating a terrorist cell. Two children were also killed in that explosion.

Despite world-wide condemnation Israel insists that its policy of assassinating key Palestinian operatives is a necessary form of self-defence. Indeed they call such attacks ``interception operations'' that are intended to pre-empt suicide bomb attacks before they take place.

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Section  : International
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