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Radical Palestinians take claim for settler killings

Funeral

Israeli kills Palestinian in separate incident

December 12, 1996
Web posted at: 10:25 a.m. EST (1525 GMT)

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(CNN) -- A radical Palestinian guerrilla group on Thursday claimed responsibility for the killing of a Jewish settler and her 12-year-old son near the West Bank settlement of Beit El. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and cabinet members attended the funeral for the mother and child, who were killed on Wednesday. movie icon (375K/8 sec. QuickTime movie)

Separately Thursday, an Israeli farmer who shot and killed a Palestinian south of Tel Aviv was being held for questioning, Israeli police said.

They said the Palestinian -- 40-year-old Samir Abu Shaqfa, a Gaza resident -- was employed by a neighbor of the Israeli gunman. The shooter originally said he suspected Shaqfa of trying to break into his house, police said. Another report said the settler later said the Palestinian was a terrorist about to carry out an attack.

But a senior Palestinian police officer in Gaza, Ziad al- Atrash, said the exact circumstances of the incident were not immediately clear. He discounted the possibility of a robbery, without elaborating.

Four other Palestinian workers were wounded in the incident in the village of Kiryat Gat.

Claim of responsibility

On Wednesday, Etta Tzur and her son Ephraim were killed when gunmen shot at their family car near the Palestinian self- ruled town of Ramallah in the West Bank. Her husband and four other children were wounded. Israel said the guerrillas escaped into Ramallah, which was closed off after the attack.

"We confirm our responsibility for the attack which comes within the PFLP's policy of fighting settlers wherever they are," said Maher al-Taher, spokesman for the Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).

The PFLP is an opponent of Israel's peace deals with the PLO.

Different opinions on settler killings

Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat, asked by reporters in Gaza to comment on the killings, kept silent. A PLO official said the Palestinian Authority, in charge of self-rule in parts of the West Bank and Gaza, condemned the attack.

Mourners

At Thursday's funeral for the settlers, Netanyahu said, "The roots of the Jewish people are rooted in the land of Beit El. These roots not only will not be uprooted, they will be deepened. Our answer to these murderers... is that we are staying here."

Netanyahu also demanded that the Palestinians help catch the gunmen.

Also at the service, National Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon, a champion of Jewish settlement, sniped at the Israel-PLO peace accords that set up a Palestinian police force overseen by Arafat.

Sharon

"The murderers continue to go about their business. The Oslo (peace) accords that put the question of protection of Israeli citizens in the hands of a war criminal by any law continue to cause bloodshed," Sharon said.

In Gaza, Palestinian Justice Minister Freih Abu Medeen saw the shooting in a different context, telling reporters it played into the hands of Netanyahu by giving him ammunition to postpone a deal to withdraw Israeli troops from the West Bank town of Hebron.

"Anything that will delay and kill our dream, we condemn," Medeen said. "Israel needs these incidents. Israel needs these attacks. Israel will find a cover for its delays. This is a gift for Mr. Netanyahu."

Jerusalem Bureau Chief Walter Rodgers and Reuters contributed to this report.

 
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