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Israel Assassinates Senior Activist of Palestinian Fatah Movement
A senior member of the Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement was assassinated by Israel in Bethlehem on Thursday, Palestinian sources in Jerusalem said.
Two other Palestinians were also killed in the operation in the West Bank city. Reports said the assassination was carried out by helicopters, but Israeli army refused to comment on the reports.
The Fatah activist, identified as Atef Abayat, was a senior member of the movement's military wing of Tanzim.
Israeli security sources said that Abayat was on Israel's most wanted list presented to the Palestinian National Authority. They accused him of shooting and killing a Jewish settler last month.
The latest Israeli assassination operation was apparently a further response to the killing of Israeli Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi by Palestinian gunmen in Jerusalem Wednesday morning.
Earlier Thursday, in retaliation for the killing of Ze'evi, the Israeli army attacked the West Bank cities of Nablus, Ramallah and Jenin, all under full Palestinian rule, killing three Palestinians, including an 11-year-old girl.
The Israeli army also tightened closure against Nablus and operated in areas under full Palestinian control Thursday afternoon, an army spokeswoman told Xinhua.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a radical Palestinian faction, has claimed responsibility for the killing of Ze'evi. PFLP said that the operation was in reprisal of the Israeli assassination of Abu Ali Mustafa, PFLP secretary general, in August.
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