Day after Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas relocated to Gaza, a Palestinian Qassam rocket damaged homes and vehicles in the Israeli town of Sderot, fired early Tuesday, July 25, from the Gaza Strip. No casualties
July 26, 2005, 7:39 PM (GMT+02:00)
Monday, July 25, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and most of his government including prime minister Ahmed Qureia transferred the Palestinian government from its seat in the West Bank town of Ramallah to Gaza City.
The move, according to DEBKAfile’s Palestinian sources, was not of Abbas’ choosing. It was forced on him by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice during her Ramallah visit Saturday, July 23.
After the fact, Abbas’ spokesmen presented the move as a strategic decision to be on the spot and ascertain that Palestinian terrorists do not accompany Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in mid-August with gunfire.
But that had not been his intention. Asked where he would be during the sensitive period, Abbas told Rice he would be in Ramallah. She replied: “No way are you going to run things by remote control!” Faced with this unyielding demand, he promised to make the move although he knew it was pointless.
Abu Mazen and two Egyptian generals spent all of last week trying to hammer home to the Palestinian terrorist chiefs the need to hold their fire. They did not budge them one inch. In fact, Saturday night, July 22, three Palestinian organizations launched a murderous shooting attack on an Israeli civilian car on the Kissifim road to Gush Katif, killing Dov and Rachel Kol. Abu Mazen declined to condemn the attack when confronted with a microphone. He has not raised a finger to catch the murderers, again betraying his complete lack of authority over the men of violence.
