From Palestinian Authority Radio (The Voice of Palestine):

PA Prime Minister Ahmad Qreia (nicknamed Abu Ala) condemned in the strongest terms the resumption of the Israeli policy of assassinations (V.O.P. radio, 4 p.m.-Jerusalem Time), and accused Israel of war crimes.

Meanwhile, Qreia and the Palestinian broadcast media apparently made no condemnation or comment concerning the rocket attacks earlier in the day (Tuesday) on the town of Sderot, though they did mention that two people were killed and several wounded by a Palestinian mortar attack [which turned out to be a short-range Qassam rocket] on the Israeli settlement of Ganei Tal inside Gaza.

“This is a grave war crime”, V.O.P. radio quoted Qreia, who added, “this endangers the tahdiyya” a reference to the on-again-off-again Palestinian “cooling-off period” of not attacking Israelis.

Qreia was responding to an Israeli attack on a house in Qabatya where several armed operatives of the Islamic Jihad were holed up, and in which to armed were killed [Note: Israel says that the Islamic Jihad in the northern part of the West Bank is continuing the planning and execution of terror attacks, including the February bombing in Tel Aviv and the abortive human bombing in Jerusalem last week. See also bottom radio item below].

V.O.P. identified the dead men as Murawah Kmeil and Nasser Abdel-Rahim Zakarna, and it pronounced them “martyrs”.

Earlier in the day, Chief Palestinian Authority (PA) negotiator Saeb Arikat said the Palestinians rejected Ariel Sharon’s comment that Jerusalem would remain “Israeli property” [mulk israli] under a permanent settlement.

Voice of Palestine radio interviewed Arikat in the morning and quoted him at length in its Tuesday morning (June 7) and afternoon broadcasts.

V.O.P. radio noted with approval that the US Department had opposed new Israeli settlement activities and expansions, citing comments by David Welch.

PA Civilian Affairs Minister Muhammad Dahlan charged Israel with being phony and insincere in its preparations for the Gaza withdrawal during meetings last night that were quoted today on V.O.P. radio.

The official PA radio station also featured an interview with PA Minister Ghassan al-Khatib charging Israel with forging maps and documents regarding the map determinants of the Gaza Strip, in order to keep some settlers in Gaza.

There was no mention during the V.O.P. morning broadcasts of the four rocket attacks on Sderot inside Israel in the V.O.P. reports, but the mid-day reports cited “three martyrs” in fighting in Rafah and in Qabatya near Jenin.

PBC Television

In its morning reports, PBC led with a re-run of yesterday’s afternoon news showing PA Prime Minister Ahmad Qreia (Abu Ala) accusing Israel of invading the Temple Mount, during a PA cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Ahmad Qreia asserted that the attempt by Israel to invade Jerusalem [Arabic: beit al-maqdas] was fraught with danger, the report reiterated.

PBC television then moved to PLO Chairman Abbas’s comments on the issue.

“President Abbas demanded that Israel to stop its dangerous violations of the Al Aqsa Mosque led by Jewish extremists acting under the protection of the Israeli police”.

Abbas was shown checking the matriculation exam papers of Palestinian students and making comments to a crowd outside a school: “It is incumbent on Israel and the international community to put a stop to these dangerous violations”, Abbas said.

From Palestinian newspapers:

Al-Quds (lead item): CONFRONTATIONS IN AL-AQSA COURTYARD BETWEEN THE WORSHIPERS AND THE POLICE FOLLOWING PERMISSION GIVEN TO JEWISH EXTREMISTS TO ENTER THE JERUSALEM SHRINE [top of page picture showing Israeli forces using tear gas]. Lower down on front page: Pres. Abbas and PM Qreia Warn of Dangerous Attempts to Invade Al-Aqsa and to Destroy Homes in Silwan

Al-Ayyam: ANGRY MASSES PROTECT JERUSALEM SHRINE, CHASING JEWISH GROUPS FROM ITS COURTYARD: ON DAY OF JUDAIZATION OF JERUSALEM UNDER THE OCCUPATION

Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda: NEW TERROR ATTEMPT TO INVADE AL-AQSA ENDS IN FAILURE [shows tear gas picture similar to Al-Quds]

Al-Hayat cartoon shows Sharon as papa-duck followed by George Bush chickadee in pond:
www.alhayat-j.com/char.php?cid=98

Report compiled by Michael Widlanski Associates. Commissioned by the Center for Near East Policy Research. [Permission to quote or reprint from article conditional on citing Michael Widlanski or Michael Widlanski Associates.]

Dr. Michael Widlanski is a specialist in Arab politics and communication whose doctorate dealt with the Palestinian broadcast media. He is a former reporter, correspondent and editor, respectively, at The New York Times, The Cox Newspapers-Atlanta Constitution, and The Jerusalem Post.

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