While American celebrate Thanksgiving, Israel is reeling from string of deadly attacks: a shooting spree that killed six civlians in Beit Shan, a triple suicide bomb attack aimed at Israeli tourists in Kenya that killed at least 11, including two Israeli children, and the seemingly coordinated double missile attack of an Israeli airplane in Kenya carrying 271 people.
Prevoiusly unknown group calling itself "The Army of Palestine" faxed a claim of responsibilty to the Reuters news agecy in Beriut. John Malan Sawe, Kenyan Ambassador to Israel, speculated that Al - Qauida was responsible.
Terror experts add: The fact that responsibility for both tody's Kenya attacks was claim almost immediately in Beuirt suggests that this is part of ongoing cooperation between al-Qaida, Fatah, Hizbullah and Hamas to try and provoke an international response by Israel, thereby widening the conflict to make it harder for the U.S to win Arab backing for an attack on Iraq.
Meanwhile, the Israel resource news agecy points out that the U.S House of Representatives "Task Force on Terrorism and Uncoventional warfare" found that the duty-free stores at the Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairboi, are onwed by a PLO financial front company, and have provided the PLO "a base for procurement of forged travel documents and airline tickets"
Steven Odero, a waiter at Mombasa Paradise Hotel, told Associated Press that Hotel staff saw a light plane circling over the hotel at the time of the explosion, and three packages -- which staff said were bombs were dropped from the plane, one landing in the hotel pool, one on the roof and one in the ocean.
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In Israeli town of Beit Shan, Yasser Arafat's Fatah/Al Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility for the submachine attack that killed six Israelis and injured doezns more at a polling station and the town's main bus station. One gunman killed by secuirty forces wore an explosive belt that did not detonate, police spokesmen said.
Journalist and commentator Tom Gross adds : Attacks of this kind continue to be funded in part by the $4 million dollars given each week by the EU to Yasser Arafat, according to Anti-Arafat democratic forces in Ramallah. It will be left to historians to examine the extent of European collaboration in the present round of suicide murders of Jewish civilians.
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Rudy G,
NYC Mayor.