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Newsletter : 2fax0108.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN Jan. 8, 2002, Vol. 10, No. 5
It's Snowing In Jerusalem
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Heavy snow fell in Jerusalem Monday prompting many workers to clock out early.
Some Israelis from Tel Aviv made their way to the capital to take pictures of "Jerusalem of White." By morning, many roads in the Golan Heights and Galilee areas were already closed as a result of a heavy snowfall Sunday night.
Palestinian Captain Talks About Seized Weapons Ship
By VOA News & IsraelNationalNews.com
The Palestinian Authority said it would launch an internal investigation following charges that the cargo of a weapons-carrying ship seized by Israel in the Red Sea last Thursday was intended for Palestinians. The PA released a statement on the matter late Monday, saying anyone involved in the shipment would be punished.
Israel said the ship coming from Iran contained 50 tons of hidden weapons headed for the Gaza Strip. The ship was seized by Israeli commandos.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon accused Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat of being directly responsible for the shipment. The Palestinian Authority and Iran's government denied involvement.
Earlier Monday, the Palestinian captain of the freighter, who is now in an Israeli jail, said he was working on instructions from Palestinian Authority officials. Omar Akawi made the statements from prison in Israel during interviews broadcast by Israeli television. Only the public Israel Television channel was permitted by the IDF to interview the Arab captain in his Ashkelon jail cell.
According to Akawi, there was no resistance because most of the crew were asleep when the IDF boarded the vessel. He confessed that they were taken by complete surprise and hadn't anticipated that there would be any danger until they reached the Suez Canal, where they knew that ships were scrutinized. He said that the arms shipment was a PLO mission and had nothing to do with the Lebanese terrorist organization Hizbullah.
Akawi told his interviewers that he joined the PLO in 1976 in
Lebanon and served as an officer in the PLO naval police. He was
promoted to advisor for maritime affairs in the PLO transportation
office.
Lloyds of London announced Monday that the "Karin A" is registered
as an Iraqi ship. Last summer, the vessel was sold to an Iraqi
citizen, Ali Mahmoud Abbas, for $400,000. The IDF spokesman said
Sunday that the head of arms acquisitions for the Palestinian
Authority was involved in the purchase of the ship.
"Karin A" was intercepted in a raid by IDF commandos early Thursday morning and was found to have on board over 80 tons of weaponry, 30 tons more than initially reported. The ship was headed towards a PLO-controlled area in Gaza where its contents were to be delivered to high-ranking PLO naval commanders and then used in future attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Monday, a State Department official declined to comment on the arms shipment issue, saying the United States is still trying to get all the facts on the incident.
Meanwhile, Russia expressed regret that Arafat was prevented from leaving his West Bank base in Ramallah Monday to attend Orthodox Christmas ceremonies in Bethlehem. Israeli troops have continued enforcing a travel ban against the Palestinian leader, despite a sharp reduction in violence in recent days. Israeli officials have said Arafat must arrest militants responsible for the murder of an Israeli cabinet minister in October.
Standing next to the "Karin A," docked in Eilat, Sharon told reporters: "This ammunition ship behind us is part of a campaign of terror being conducted against us by the Palestinian Authority. This terror ship, which was on its way to the Gaza shore, was a threat to each and every one of you - in Tel Aviv as in Emanuel, in Haifa as in Ariel, in Herziliya and Ashkelon as in Elei-Sinai and Netzarim.
"The type and character of the weapons and ammunition discovered on the ship prove once again that the Palestinian Authority has been focusing all its efforts on terrorism and preparing the operational infrastructure for the next waves of terror... Let there be no mistake - this is the choice made by the chairman of the Palestinian Authority [Arafat].
"The Palestinian Authority is a major player in the network of international terrorism, spearheaded by Iran and aimed at sowing death and destruction throughout the entire world."
