US weapons transferred to Fatah may have shot schoolbus (WND)

It was outrageous enough that Olmert was stupid/naive enough to think that arming Fatah would help his "peace partner", Abu Mazen. But it is beyond belief that his own people wasted no time in turning their new weapons on their real targets - Jewish civilians.

American weapons recently transferred by the U.S. were used in a Palestinian shooting attack today that injured three Israeli schoolgirls, hinted a source close to the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group.

The attack was carried out by a member of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' security detail, Force 17, which, as WND first reported, received a supply of high-power American assault rifles.

'It is not a coincidence that as soon as these new weapons arrive, there is an increase in shootings against Israelis,' said the source, who asked not to be identified.

Abu Yousuf, a senior officer in Force 17 and a member of the Al Aqsa Brigades, called WND to take credit for today's shooting attack, in which an Israeli bus in northern Samaria came under fire. Security officials said because the bus was armored, the schoolgirls were only lightly injured.

Abu Yousuf said he was taking credit for the attack in the name of the Al Aqsa Brigades and not Force 17.

Many Force 17 gunmen are well known also to be members of the Al Aqsa Brigades, an offshoot of Abbas' Fatah party that is responsible for scores of recent suicide bombings, shooting attacks and rocket-firings at Israel.

Israel recently facilitated the transfer to Force 17 of a large cache of weapons. WND broke the story the weapons transfer was coordinated by the United States. Palestinian officials said Abbas quietly requested the weapons from the U.S. in talks that involved Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

The weapons cache included 3,000 American-made M-16 assault rifles and over 1 million rounds of ammunition, Palestinian officials involved in the transfer told WND. Media reports had stated the transfer, which was credited to Israel, consisted of 370 assault rifles and an unspecified amount of bullets.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced last week he had approved the shipment of weapons and ammunition, explaining the transfer was meant to bolster Abbas' Fatah party in recent clashes against Hamas. The shipment reportedly originated in Jordan and needed Israel's approval for transport.

"I did this because we are running out of time and we need to help Abu Mazen," Olmert told reporters June 13.

But Force 17 senior officer Abu Yousuf told WND in an exclusive interview last week the weapons will be shared with the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and utilized for attacks against Jews. He hinted the weapons already were used in two shooting attacks the past few days that killed one Israeli civilian and wounded another.

"These weapons will not be used in an internal war but against Israelis," he said. "Force 17 is proud that we were the first to lead the Palestinian people during tough times such as resistance operations [against the Israeli army during large-scale operations in northern Samaria in 2002]. We will also be the first to lead the Palestinians in the current struggle against Israeli occupation."