In an unusual measure, the Palestinian press labeled the Israeli army as terrorists following the third day of an intensive Israeli crackdown on terror groups in the West Bank city Nablus. At least 12 people were killed in the operation and 20 injured. Read more on the Israeli operation [1].
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the dead included heads of groups who planned and perpetrated deadly terror attacks against Israelis.
The Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam ran a headline on its front page on Sunday reading ‘Terrorism assassinates seven members of Al-Aq’sa, Al-Qassam and the Jerusalem Squadrons in Nablus.’
The three groups mentioned refer to the military wings of Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad respectively. All three organizations have been involved in terror attacks against Israeli civilians.
The Palestinian papers often give extensive coverage to Israel’s military operations in the Palestinian Authority (PA), but usually refer to Israeli forces as the Israeli army, or the Israeli Occupation Forces.
Palestinian Minister of Negotiating Affairs ‘Saib ‘Ariqat told journalists the PA strongly condemns what he called the ‘state terrorism’ against Palestinian in Nablus, Rafah and beforehand in Khan Younis, Jabaliyya, Hebron and Bethlehem.
The Al-Aq’sa Martyrs Brigades has vowed to take revenge for the killing of their leader, Naif Abu Sharakh. In a proclamation issued on Saturday, they said their response will be unprecedented, vowing to attack soldiers and settlers as well as targeting places “within Israel,” referring to pre-1967 Israel.