Abbas says signs of Qaida presence in Gaza, West Bank

Last update - 09:52 02/03/2006


Abbas says signs of Qaida presence in Gaza, West Bank

By Arnon Regular, Haaretz Correspondent and The Associated Press

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said in remarks published on Thursday there were signs of an Al-Qaida presence in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

"We have indications about a presence of Al-Qaida in Gaza and the (West) Bank. This is intelligence information. We have not yet reached the point of arrests," Abbas said.

"The last security report I received was three days ago," he told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper. "This is the first time that I've spoken about this subject. This is a very serious matter."

Israeli officials said they were worried that foreign militants and Al-Qaida agents entered Gaza from Egypt during a brief period of chaos on the border following the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza last year. The Palestinian Authority said that was untrue.

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http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/689095.html