PFLP and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terrorists kidnapped at least six foreigners in Gaza and the West Bank on Tuesday and as many as 17 total according to YNET. The kidnappings come in response to an IDF operation to seize Fuad Shobaki, the alleged mastermind of an illegal weapons shipment to the PA in 2002, PFLP leader Ahmed Saadat and others from a prison in Jericho under U.S. and British supervision. Because of a lack of security assurances from the Palestinians, U.S. and British monitors were recently evacuated from the facility. The text of the letter notifying Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on March 8 is available here.
Later, is was reported in the Israeli press that the two Australians have been released, but that other foreigners have been abducted by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Nablus. The full count of captives include citizens of America, Britain, France, Korea, Switzerland and Iran.
Last week, Abbas said he was prepared to free Saadat and five others who have been imprisoned for the past four years following the assassination of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Ze'evi in 2001. Following the assassination, the U.S. called upon the PA to "immediately find and bring to justice those who committed this murder," and we believe that a willingness to free the responsible parties after four years is unacceptable.
The IDF called through loudspeakers on Saadat to surrender. Speaking over a cell phone from the prison, Saadat told al-Jazeera: "We will not surrender - we will fight. Either we die or win." There is reportedly an armory inside the prison, but fortunately Saadat's call to fight to the death went unfulfilled. Saadat and five other terrorists gave themselves up to IDF troops around noon Eastern time on Tuesday.
Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal weighed in by calling upon Palestinians to put themselves in harms way by rallying around the Jericho jail. "I call on our people in Jericho to throng around the Jericho prison." As day turned to night, Ha'aretz reports that Palestinians on the periphery of the site were throwing molotov cocktails and other objects at the soldiers.
On al-Jazeera TV, the PFLP vowed an "aggressive response" if Sadaat was killed, including attacks on embassies. Recent propaganda on the PFLP website indicates that these are not idle threats. In a poster, terrorists stand on a coffin bearing the likeness of Ze'evi on it. The text of the poster reads "Our brigades will continue to destroy your project," while the words "The fate of your leaders" is inscribed on the coffin.
As a result of the kidnappings, EU monitors have fled their posts at the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza. At this time, Israel and Egypt are maintaining their security coordination, with both parties exchanging information regarding developments at the crossing. Palestinian police officers in the area, however, are not working to prevent disorder at the site. In addition, the UN Works & Aid Agency and the International Committee of the Red Cross said Tuesday they are temporarily pulling all foreign staff out of Gaza and the West Bank.