From Israel’s War to Halt Palestinian Rocket Attacks: The Kassam rocket threat started in 2001 and grew when the Palestinian Authority was under Fatah control. Even after the death of Arafat in November 2004, Kassam rocket fire from Gaza continued under the regime of Mahmoud Abbas. True, Abbas called on Palestinians to stop firing rockets into Israel in 2006, but on the ground, he and the Fatah leadership were either unwilling or unable to halt the Hamas attacks as they increased. After Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, the number of confirmed rocket strikes against Israel increased by more than 500 percent.
Read More +From Egypt Transfers 2,000 Rifles and Ammunition to Fatah in Gaza: Egypt transferred 2,000 AK-47 rifles and two million rounds of ammunition to PA security organizations in Gaza Wednesday with Israel’s approval in an effort to bolster Fatah-affiliated groups following clashes with Hamas. Senior members of Fatah-affiliated groups have complained of their inferior firepower when confronted by Hamas forces, since Hamas controls most of the smuggling tunnels for weapons flowing into Gaza from Egypt. The decision to reinforce Fatah forces was made during the meeting between Prime Minister Olmert and PA Chairman Abbas on Saturday. During the meeting, Abbas also
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