Hezbollah is recruiting bombers to derail truce, Palestinians say
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas are trying to recruit Palestinian militants for attacks on Israelis in order to sabotage Middle East peace efforts, senior Palestinian officials said yesterday.
The accusations, a day after Israel and the Palestinians announced a truce, echoed allegations from the Jewish state. The officials declined to be identified.
Hezbollah, backed by Syria and Iran, said in a statement that no such recruitment had taken place, and a senior Palestinian security adviser contended that he had received assurances that Hezbollah would abide by the truce.
A top Palestinian official said security services were investigating Hezbollah funding for militants in the occupied West Bank and Gaza. Another said links were spotted via intercepted communications.
''We know that Hezbollah has been trying to recruit suicide bombers in the name of Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades to wage attacks that would sabotage the truce," an official said about an armed group of President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction.
Another official said intercepted e-mail communications and bank transactions suggested Hezbollah had raised its cash offers to militants, but it was unclear whether this reflected a heightened desire to see violence flare up or a dearth of recruits.
''Now they are willing to pay $100,000 for a whole operation, [suicide bombing] whereas in the past they paid $20,000, then raised it to $50,000," the second official said.
Abbas and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel pledged a cessation of hostilities at a summit in Egypt on Tuesday.
Militants have said they are not bound by the truce, but will maintain the calm at the request of Abbas.
Senior Palestinian security adviser Jibril al-Rajoub said Lebanese officials had told him during talks in Beirut that Hezbollah would not sabotage efforts at calm.
Representatives of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a disparate coalition of gunmen, denied getting help from the Shi'ite guerrillas.
''We respect Hezbollah, but Palestinian resistance is capable of leading its struggle alone," said Abu Qusai, faction spokesman.
