Arafat to Close Hamas, Islamic Jihad Offices

Palestinian President Yasser Arafat decided on Wednesday to close down immediately all institutions belonging to the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups after a deadly ambush on an Israeli bus.

``The Palestinian Authority in an urgent meeting headed by Arafat has taken a decision that Palestinian security forces will immediately close down all Hamas and Islamic Jihad institutions, including education, health and political offices,'' an official statement said.

The Palestinian Authority earlier condemned the Palestinian attack on the bus near the Jewish settlement of Immanuel in the West Bank in which 10 people were killed, and two suicide bombings in the Gaza Strip in which three people were wounded.

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, an armed group linked to Arafat's Fatah group, claimed responsibility for the attack on the bus. It said the attack was retaliation for killings by Israeli forces.

(China Daily December 13, 2001)