March 15, 2006

IDF operation in Jericho to arrest murderers of Israeli minister Ze'evi

(Communicated by the IDF Spokesman)

Following the violation of agreements by the Palestinian Authority, six senior wanted terrorists, including the three assassins of Ze'evi and senior PFLP terrorist Ahmed Saadat, turned themselves in to Israeli security forces in Jericho.

Palestinian prisoners line up outside Jericho Prison after surrendering. (Reuters)

US and British consuls: "The Palestinian Authority has never fully complied with basic provision of the agreement that established the US and UK Jericho Monitoring Mission."

In accordance with a decision by the political echelon following the violation of agreements by the Palestinian Authority, IDF units operated in Jericho on March 14, 2006, to arrest the terrorists responsible for assassinating Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi as well as other senior terrorists. International inspectors, who had been supervising the implementation of the agreements reached between Israel and the PA, left the city after the PA violated the agreements. Israel maintained its commitment to the agreements reached with the PA and decided to take action only after the PA violated its commitments and the terrorists were no longer under the supervision of the American and British inspectors.

During the first several hours of the operation, the forces surrounded the prison and called for the wanted terrorists to exit the building. Several exchanges of fire erupted between Israeli forces surrounding the structure and the Palestinians inside the prison. After the terrorists refused the forces' call to surrender, the troops employed various measures in order to prompt the terrorists to exit the building.

This evening, the six senior wanted terrorists, including the three assassins of Ze'evi and senior PFLP terrorist Ahmed Saadat, turned themselves in to the security forces. The six wanted terrorists were arrested and taken for questioning by the security forces. They will be handled in accordance with Israeli law and the decisions taken by the political echelon.

Following is the text of the letter addressed to Mahmoud Abbas by the American and British consuls regarding failure to comply with the agreement regarding the imprisonment of the terrorists (as published in The Jerusalem Post):

"March 8, 2006

His Excellency
Mahmoud Abbas
President, Palestinian Authority
Ramallah

Mr. President:

The Palestinian Authority has never fully complied with basic provision of the agreement that established the US and UK Jericho Monitoring Mission. While the six detainees - Fuad Shobaki, Ahmad Sa’adat, Iyad Gholmi, Hamdi Qur’an, Majdi Rmawi, and Basel al-Asmar - are held in continuous custody at the Jericho Prison, the Palestinian Authority has consistently failed to comply with core prevision of the Jericho monitoring arrangement regarding visitors, cell searches, telephone access and correspondence. Furthermore, the Palestinian Authority has failed to provide secure conditions for the US and US personnel working gat the Jericho Prison. Repeated demarches by our governments to the highest levels of the Palestinian Authority have not resulted in improved compliance with the Jericho monitoring arrangements. The pending handover of governmental power to a political party that has repeatedly called for the release of the Jericho detainees also calls into question the political sustainability of the monitoring mission.

If the Palestinian Authority would like the US and UK to continue their involvement with the monitoring mission, conditions at the Jericho Prison must be brought into full compliance with the Jericho monitoring arrangements. Alternatively, the Palestinian Authority can come to a new arrangement with the Government of Israel regarding the disposition of the six detainees. Likewise, adequate measures must be put in place to assure the security of the US and UK personnel working at the prison. Regrettably, if the Palestinian Authority does into come into full compliance with the Jericho monitoring arrangement and make substantive improvements to the security of the US and UK personnel working at the prison, or come to a new agreement with the Government of Israel, we will have to terminate our involvement with the Jericho monitoring arrangements and withdraw our monitors with immediate effect.

I hope you understand our concerns and the seriousness with which we take this matter.

Signed by

Jacob Walles (US Consul General)
John Jenkins (UK Consul General)"

Background information on Ze'evi's assassins
(Communicated by Israeli security sources)

Terrorists responsible for the assassination of minister Rehavam Ze'evi arrested during an IDF operation in Jericho on Tuesday

Following the violation of agreements by the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with a decision made by the political echelon, IDF forces operated in Jericho Tuesday, March 14, 2006, to arrest the assassins of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi and other senior terrorists.

Following the assassination of Minister Rehavam Ze'evi in October 2001, five PFLP terrorists, who were directly involved in his assassination, were arrested during the months of January and Ferbuary 2002, by the Palestinian Authority. The five were taken into custody at the Mukataa in Ramallah and in May 2002 were transferred to a Palestinian Authority prison in Jericho, where they were jailed under American and British supervision, in accordance with an international agreement.

The five terrorists arrested in May 2002 are: the two top commanders of the PFLP, Ahmad Saadat and Ahed Ulmeh, and three PFLP terrorists who were directly involved in the assassination of Ze'evi - Majdi Rimawi, Bassel Assamer and Hamdi Quran. Also arrested in 2002 and jailed under the same international agreement was Fuad Shubaki, who was responsible for the smuggling of large amounts of weaponry, including the smuggling operation of a ship loaded with weaponry - the 'Karine A'.

Both Ahmad Saadat and Ahed Ulmeh continued to guide and direct the organization's terror activity from within the jail. The location in which they where jailed served as a center for terror activity. From this location, they both recruited terrorists and directed attacks against Israel.

Ahmad Saadat Yussef Abed-El Rassul served as the general secretary of the PFLP during the assassination of Ze'evi. Saadat, 53, from the neighborhood of el Bira in Ramallah, was arrested six times between the years 1967 and 1993, and from 1994 onwards became actively involved in numerous terror attacks.
In December 1996, Saadat dispatched a PFLP terrorist cell from Ramallah, which carried out a shooting attack against an Israeli civilian vehicle, murdering an Israeli civilian woman and her son and wounding three children, all members of the same family.
Under his direction, the PFLP also carried out the following attacks:

- Ten Israelis were wounded when terrorists detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives in the Mea She'arim neighborhood in Jerusalem, in Febuary 2001.
- Eight Israelis were wounded when terrorists detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives in a commercial center in Or Yehuda, in April 2001.
- Five Israelis were wounded when terrorists detonated a vehicle loaded with explosives in the center of Jerusalem, in May 2001.
- Terrorists detonated several explosive devices in the Atarot industrial zone, in June 2001.
- Six Israelis were wounded when terrorists detonated two vehicles loaded with explosives in Yehud, in July 2001.
- Terrorists placed several watermelons filled with explosives on a bus that was making its way to the Malha shopping mall in Jerusalem, in July 2001.

After he was appointed secretary of the PFLP, Saadat continued to stress his personal commitment and the PFLP's commitment to continue carrying out terror attacks against Israel, in this ignoring all of the agreements made between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. On October 17th 2001, while Saadat served as general secretary of the organization, PFLP terrorists assassinated Ze'evi at the Hyatt Hotel in Jerusalem.

In the last elections, held on January 25, 2006, Saadat was elected as a Palestinian parliament member on behalf of the PFLP. Since the elections, Saadat and additional senior wanted terrorists have been engaged in continuous negotiations with Hamas in an effort to join the Hamas-led government. The differences between them revolved around the mentality of the Palestinian public, but both organizations agreed upon their stance towards the State of Israel and the necessity of continuing the armed struggle.

Ahed Yussef Mussah Ulmeh, 38, was responsible for planning and directing the assassination of Ze'evi. Ulmeh, a resident of Ramallah and a senior PFLP terrorist, was wanted by the Israeli security forces prior to his arrest for his involvement in terrorist activity, which included recruiting and training terrorists to carry out attacks against Israel.
Since October 2000, Ulmeh served as a senior commander in the organization, and directed terror cells which operated in Ramallah, Nablus, and Jerusalem. Since January 2001, Ulmeh was directly responsible for numerous terror attacks, including the aforementioned terror attacks in Jerusalem and in Yehud.
Ulmeh planned and directed the assassination of Ze'evi, after which he fled to Nablus. While in Nablus, he was involved in planning the suicide bombing at the Pizza restaurant in the Israeli community of Karnei Shomron, in which two Israeli youths were murdered and 30 were wounded. In addition, Ulmeh was directly involved in a number of terrorist attacks carried out by the organization, including the murder of two hikers in Wadi Kelt in October 1993 and the murder of an Israeli civilian in Jerusalem in March 1993.

Majdi Haziv Yusuf Rahima Rimawi, 41, resident of Ramallah and a senior PFLP terrorist, headed the terror cell that assassinated Ze'evi.
During the year 2001 he operated alongside Ahed Ulmeh and dispatched a number of terror attacks in Jerusalem and Yehud. Rimawi dispatched the terrorists who carried out the Yehud attack, and provided them with the explosive devices that they placed in the vehicles in Yehud. As previously mentioned, six Israelis were wounded in the attack. Rimawi was directly responsible for recruiting and dispatching the terrorist cell that assassinated Ze'evi.

Hamdi Quran, 32, resident of el Birah neighborhood in Ramallah, assassin of minister Ze'evi, was recruited to the PFLP terrorist organization by Majdi Rimawi in the beginning of October 2000, having been instructed by him to carry out terror attacks inside Israel. In July 2001, Rimawi provided Quran with explosive devices, which he placed in the vehicles in Yehud.
On October 17th 2001, at the instruction of Majdi Rimawi and Ahed Ulmeh, Quran headed to the Hyatt hotel in Jerusalem, along with Bassel Assamer. The two ambushed Ze'evi at the entrance to his room in the hotel. Quran was the one who pulled the trigger and assassinated Ze'evi with three bullets.

Bassel Abdul Rahman Ahmed Assamer, 30, member of the terrorist cell that assassinated Ze'evi. The resident of the village of Beit Rima, north of Ramallah, has been an operative of the PFLP for a number of years. Assamer was responsible for guarding the assassins and keeping watch in the stairway of the hotel during the assassination.

Fuad Hajazi Muhammed Shubaki, 64, involved in the attempted smuggling of weapons into Palestinian Authority areas aboard the ship 'Karine A'. Until September 2001, the resident of the Gaza Strip carried a VIP card, due to his official position as the man in charge of managing the funds of the PA General Security Apparatuses. Shubaki was also directly responsible and personally involved in activating and funding terrorist cells that carried out terror attacks, purchased weaponry and transferred it to the PA. Shubaki was jailed at the Jericho prison with the other five wanted PFLP terrorists, under the same international agreements.