US-Trained Fatah Forces Vow To Continue Battling Israel

Jerusalem – The Fatah organization, the dominant factor in the Palestinian Authority (PA), has called to continue the “armed struggle” against Israel.According to the official Fatah Web site, translated by the Palestinian Media Watch organization, members of Fatah’s Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades announced Wednesday that they are arming themselves for war against Israel by buying guns, instead of food for their kids and by selling their wives’ jewelry.

Fatah’s Web site makes it clear that the Brigades are preparing a “harsh and painful” response to any Israeli attacks on Gaza.

The following is the transcript of the item from Fatah’s Web site:

“With the renewal of the threats emanating from the Zionist military establishment to carry out a new attack on the Gaza Strip… the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades… warned of a harsh and painful response that the occupation state is not expecting. This response was conveyed by one of the heads of the Brigades in the Gaza Strip, Abu Ahed.”

Mr. Ahed also declared that the Brigades’ activity in Gaza should be viewed as a personal endeavor, since many of the Brigades’ jihad fighters purchase weapons rather than food for their children, and many of them have even sold their wives’ gold in order to obtain weapons, since the Hamas forces have confiscated the Brigades’ members’ weapons.”

This presents a dilemma to United States policymakers.

Although U.S. law defines Al Aqsa Brigades as a terror entity, the U.S. now provides military training for the Fatah armed forces – which includes Al Aqsa Brigades.

At the direction of the U.S. government, the Israeli army has stopped pursuing wanted terrorists who are affiliated with the Al Aqsa Brigades.

The U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem would not comment, on behalf of the U.S. government, with regard to threats on the Fatah’s Web site about Al Aqsa Brigades’ threats of military action against Israel.