Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Palestinian caretaker government accuses Hamas of planning to bomb security HQs in the West Bank

Ma'an – Spokesperson of the Palestinian caretaker government, Riyad Al-Maliki, on Monday accused the Hamas movement of preparing bombing operations targeting the headquarters of the security services in the West Bank.
Caretaker government ministers(MaanImages)
Bethlehem – Ma'an – Spokesperson of the Palestinian caretaker government, Riyad Al-Maliki, on Monday accused the Hamas movement of preparing bombing operations targeting the headquarters of the security services in the West Bank.Al-Maliki, who is also minister of information, spoke during a press conference following the caretaker government's weekly session. Several Hamas loyalists have been arrested and, alleged Al-Maliki, during interrogation they confessed to receiving orders from the Hamas leadership to attack the security services in the West Bank.Autumn summitAl-Maliki said that within the coming forty-eight hours, the names of Palestinians who will take up positions on the joint Israeli-Palestinian committee will be announced.The remit of the committee is to prepare issues to be addressed at the coming summit, sponsored by the United States."President Abbas will announce the names in the coming hours," said Al-Maliki.Limited preparations for the event will herald negative repercussions, said Al-Maliki.He said "we must go and be convinced that the Palestinians will achieve results."Al-Maliki said that he expects United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to arrive for her visit of Israel and the Palestinian territories with comprehensive information regarding the conference.Rice is due to arrive in the area on Tuesday.Spokesperson of the Palestinian government stressed that consultations with the Israelis are ongoing will not cease despite the division between the West Bank and Gaza Strip.Projectile launchingThe caretaker government condemned the continuation of the launching of projectiles form the Gaza Strip towards Israeli targets.The projectile launching, said the government, has a detrimental impact on the residents of the Gaza Strip, as the crossings are closed, leading to the economic strangulation in the area.At the same time, the government condemned the Israeli incursions into northern Gaza.One-hundred-day reportAl-Maliki said the caretaker government is preparing a report commemorating one-hundred days since its inauguration.In terms of the ongoing economic problems facing Palestinians, Al-Maliki said that the government can do nothing about rising prices. He alleged that inflation is something which is currently being experienced worldwide and not just in the Palestinian territories."There is an institution called 'Protecting the Consumers' and it has been entrusted to monitor prices," he said.


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