Palestinian officials dismissed Saturday Israeli reports that Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Force 17 was involved in attacks against Israelis, and planning a major terror attack inside Israel, reported The Jerusalem Post newspaper.
They said the allegations were meant to discredit the PA ahead of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to Washington.
Arafat adviser Bassam Abu Sharif denied that Force 17’s commander in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mahmoud Damra, was heading a terror cell that was cooperating with the Islamic movement Hamas.
Israel's Shin Beit security service announced Friday the arrest of three Force 17 members for attacks in which eight Israelis were killed and 20 more injured over the past five months.
When questioned by Israeli forces, the three allegedly admitted that Damra had ordered the bombings, naming targets to strike, training the men and providing them with arms, according to Haaretz.
Another Palestinian official told the Post that “maybe individuals from Force 17 were involved in attacks,” but he was certain that “neither the force's commander nor the PA had anything to do with it.”
"It is just meant to justify the closure ahead of the US visit of Sharon," he said.
West Bank Preventive Security Service chief Jibril Rjoub told the paper that the Israeli allegations were also aimed at influencing the Arab summit in Amman on March 27 and the UN Security Council, due to hold a special session Monday on Palestinian requests to send an international protection force and condemn the closure – Albawaba.com
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