But…but…they really, sincerely, deep down, want peace! Note that Fatah is supposed to be the “moderate” Palestinian faction, the one the U.S. is helping as over against Hamas.
An update on this story. “Fatah wing claims responsibility for Wednesday stabbing attack,” from the Ma’an News Agency, February 10 (thanks to Maxwell):
Bethlehem – Ma’an – The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah’s armed wing, claimed responsibility on Friday for the stabbing death of an Israeli soldier near Nablus on Wednesday.
Abu Al-Majd, a leader of the armed wing, identified the attacker as Muhammad Al-Khatib, the same Palestinian who Israeli forces took into custody on suspicion of carrying out the attack.
“Al-Khatib, a brigades activist, carried out this attack in response to ongoing Israeli attacks on Palestinians and the assassination of three brigade affiliates in Nablus two months ago,” Al-Majd said in a phone interview.
Al-Majd threatened that the Fatah-affiliated faction would carry out more “substantive” attacks in the near future. He also said the delay in claiming responsibility was for security reasons.