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Palestinian Resistance Group Denies Plans To Dissolve
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Palestinian
police react to destruction caused by Israeli F-16s
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NABLUS, West Bank, Feb. 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A statement representing Palestinian resistance group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades on Tuesday denied the group, a splinter of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, was planning to disband, news agencies reported.
The statement, received by AFP, denounced a statement apparently issued by the same group the day before. It said the group was to adhere to a Fatah leadership decision calling for it to return to the fold.
"We denounce those who want to create confusion by announcing the dissolution of the brigades. We remain faithful to the blood of our martyrs and will continue our operations" against Israeli occupation, the second statement said.
"We warn all those who want to create confusion in our ranks and those who collaborate with the filthy (Israeli Prime Minister Ariel) Sharon that our resistance will continue," the statement added.
Meanwhile, Fatah’s Secretary, Marwan Barghouthy, in an interview with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera Satellite Television, on Tuesday, asserted that “Palestinian resistance groups will not disband unless the last Israeli soldier leaves the Palestinian land”.
“The statement issued Monday claiming Al-Aqsa Martyrs accepted a decision to disband is completely baseless. No such decision has been taken in the first place,” Barghouthy said.
Monday's statement faxed to AFP claimed to represent the group and said the complete opposite, and may indicate a split among the ranks.
"We announce our full respect for the decision by the Revolutionary Council headed by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to dissolve the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Army Front-Return Battalions," the statement received said.
Senior Fatah officials in the West Bank told AFP such deliberations were underway in Fatah's revolutionary council and that the majority favored freezing Al-Aqsa's military activities, but said no final decision had been made.
The Popular Army Front-Return Battalions, another resistance group linked to Fatah but much less active than Al-Aqsa, said in its own statement that it had rejected the decision, and swore to fight on.
"Our fighters will continue the resistance until the occupation is kicked out" of the Palestinian territories, it said.
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed some attacks in the recent Palestinian retaliatory attacks against Israeli targets after its leader in the northwestern town of Tulkarem, Raed al-Karmi, was killed on January 14 in a blast perpetrated on Israel.
The group said it sent a woman who blew herself and an elderly Israeli man to pieces in central Jerusalem two week ago, just days after one of its gunmen ran amok down the same street in the disputed city.
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