MEANWHILE, THE BATTLE RAGES: The Israeli Government is protesting recent
inflammatory statements from senior members of Fatah. Fatah is the largest
faction in the PLO, led personally by Yasser Arafat. Under the terms of
the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is obligated to refrain
from incitement against Israel and to take measures to prevent others from
engaging in it. Despite this, senior officials of Fatah have made the
following statements in the past month: "Oh dear ones on the occupied
lands, relatives and friends throughout Palestine and the diaspora ...
Intensify the revolution and the blessed intifada ... We must burn the
ground under the feet of the invaders." --  excerpts from a message by PA
[a.k.a. PLO] Chairman Yasser Arafat marking the 10th anniversary of the
slaying of PLO leader Abu Jihad, who was in charge of terrorist operations
against Israel. The text was published in the official PA newspaper
Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda. "The Fatah movement has forged an alliance with death
for the sake of the homeland." -- Abbas Zaki, member of the Fatah Central
Committee and the Palestinian Legislative Council, during a speech he
delivered in Arafat's name at a memorial ceremony for Abu Jihad held in
Gaza (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, April 19, 1998) "We are ready for a military
confrontation ... The bullets of the Black Panthers will strike at
Netanyahu's soldiers." -- from a statement issued by Yasser Arafat's Fatah
faction of the PLO in Jenin announcing the re-establishment of the Black
Panther military units (Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, March 26, 1998). (GPO)

F.Y.I. - Israel in the News
Week Ending: May 2, 1998/Iyar 6 5758