Palestinian militants vow to avenge deaths

Palestinian extremists today vowed to avenge the deaths of two leading militants in a mysterious explosion, but backed away from earlier claims they were killed by an Israeli missile.

The pair – Ala Sabbagh of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Imad Nasharti from Hamas – were killed last night in the Jenin refugee camp. Israeli helicopter gunships and several armoured cars were in the area at the time.

A loud blast was heard, but a local leader of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement later appeared to contradict initial claims it was an Israeli missile strike, saying: “Apparently, it was an explosion in the room.”

But he said he still suspected Israeli involvement, and an Al Aqsa militiaman announced over loudspeakers that the group would not longer respect an agreement not to carry out attacks in Israel.

They would immediately resume their operations to avenge Sabbagh, he said.

The Al Aqsa militia is linked to the Palestinian leader’s Fatah faction, which has been trying to persuade Hamas to halt attacks in Israel, at least for the duration of the Israeli election campaign.

Al Aqsa has recently been targeting only Israeli soldiers and settlers in the West Bank and Gaza.

Israeli military officials said the army was not involved in the two latest deaths. They said the explosion could have been set off by other security forces, or could have been a “work accident” by the militants as they prepared a bomb.

Elsewhere, a bomber blew up a car in the Gaza Strip near an Israeli-Palestinian liaison office, killing himself. No one else was hurt. A radical PLO faction claimed responsibility.

In the Askar refugee camp in the West Bank, a drummer who wakes up residents for a pre-dawn meal during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, was killed by Israeli undercover troops, his colleague said. The army said it was checking the incident.

And in politics, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon reaffirmed his support for conditional Palestinian statehood – a hotly contested issue in the race for leadership of his Likud party.

Sharon’s challenger, Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, says he will not permit the establishment of a Palestinian state under any circumstance.

“I don’t believe there is a statesman who would oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Sharon said, adding that it would have to be demilitarised and that Israel would retain control over borders.

Sharon is expected to trounce Netanyahu in tomorrow’s vote. Polls published today showed Sharon ahead by at least 20%. If Sharon wins, it means he is likely to keep his job, since the Likud is also expected to defeat the moderate Labour Party in January 28 general elections.