PalArab press roundup 1/17/09

Even though Firas Press is associated with Fatah, it published a long and angry article upset at Israel for daring to kill Hamas spiritual leader Said Siad. A commenter said that even though Siad was responsible for the deaths of many Fatah members, still is is not proper for Israel to have killed him. Which is an illustration of Elder's Second Rule - that no matter how much Arabs hate each other, they will always hate Israel and the West more.

It appears that Hamas members who have been captured by Israel gave some of the crucial information needed to target Siad successfully. It seems he rented a house at the very beginning of the operation for secret Hamas meetings and once Israel caught wind of this they have been watching that house closely.

Turkey's Foreign Minister said that breaking off relations with Israel would be a mistake.

Six members of Hamas' Presidential Guard were killed by Israel today, and their names are listed.

There are reports that Qatar privately requested, and Israel agreed, not to assassinate the leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Popular Resistance Committees while they were in Doha for the Arab meeting there.

Another report claims that Hamas turned part of Al Aqsa University into a torture chamber for Fatah members or others it is not happy with.

And today's Lie of the Day: Gaza doctors are now claiming that Israel coats it bullets with some sort of biological agent that poisons the blood and reduces its clotting ability, causing certain death within a few hours.

In close second place for Lie of the Day is that Israel bombed the Egyptian side of Rafah - and killed two Israeli soldiers there. Apparently, the IDF is now operating out of Egypt!