Two Israeli women who were critically injured Tuesday afternoon in Jerusalem shooting attack died a few hours later, Israel Army reported Wednesday morning.
A gunman who opened fire in west Jerusalem was a 24-year-old member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a military wing of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.
The assailant's name was Saeed Ibrahim Ramadan of the village of Tell, south of West Bank city of Nablus.
Villagers in Tell told AFP that Ramadan was a member of Fatah and also a member of the Palestinian naval police.
Reactions
The United States condemned Tuesday's shooting attack in Jerusalem and repeated its call that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat break down on “terror” groups.
"Once again, the point is that he [Arafat] needs to dismantle the organizations that do these things," U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "It's not a matter of whether they decide they will or they won't carry out attacks, it's making sure that they can't."
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in closed meetings on Tuesday "the goal of Arafat and the terror organizations he operates is to drag the entire region into war. The Israeli government will continue to fight terror with all of its might wherever it may be in order to prevent deterioration or war. This is the only way to bring about peace."
Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert declared, "We are at war. Not in some far off battlefield, but at home."
Senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that Israel was directly responsible for the Jerusalem shooting attack. "The terror attack is a direct result of the situation caused by Israel," he declared. "If Israel expects quiet or security, it is mistaken."
Zinni
The United States State Department denied Tuesday a report published by the Qatar-based Al Jazeera television station that U.S. envoy to the Middle East Anthony Zinni, has asked to end his mediation mission, aimed at brokering a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians.
The station had previously reported that the information was received from western sources. Al Jazeera added that Zinni had asked National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice, to be set free of his mission because he cannot trust Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and because he does not feel his return to the region will result in any progress whatsoever.
State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher stated that the report was completely “unfounded”, but added that no new date was set for Zinni’s return to the region.
Talks are supposed to begin in Washington on Thursday regarding the continued American involvement in the Middle East crisis, and also on Zinni's diplomatic mission. The talks will decide how to continue contacts with Arafat, whether or not to condition American involvement on Arafat fulfilling American demands, and the conditions under which Zinni would in fact return to the region, which has once again seen emerging violence throughout the last couple of days. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
