The Palestinian Authority denied the Israeli claims on a plan to assassinate Israeli PM Olmert during his recent visit to Jericho and also denied the claims that the PA released three suspects involved in the alleged plan. Dr. Salam Fayyad said the suspects were arrested last June and were released after three months because the PA concluded that there was no imminent danger and the suspects were released because of lack of evidence. A Palestinian security source said the men were arrested one more time after receiving Israeli protests. Fayyad told reporters in Jerusalem yesterday before his meeting with Israeli Knesset Speaker Dalia Itsik: The PA exerts all possible efforts to enforce law and order in the cities and villages under its jurisdictions. He added: the lessons from this incident are under careful consideration in order to improve operations in the future. The Palestinian Interior Ministry downplayed the importance of the case. A spokesperson for the ministry said: investigations revealed that a discussion took place between those young men but it was not part of a real scheme to throw firebombs at the convoy of Olmert. Nothing of this happened; it was all talk, this is why they were released. The Israeli statements are wrong.

Ahmad Abdul Rahman, Fatah official spokesperson, denied the Israeli claims. He said: the story is not correct and the aim of such a story is very clear; Diskin wants to inform the world that Fatah Movement is not serious on the issue of peace and then they would say there is no need to withdraw from the West Bank.

Published at Al Ayyam NewsPaper on October 22, 2007