Palestinian and Irish Sources deny reports that Palestine exile Jihad Ja'ara was targeted for assassination

Monday August 11, 2008 18:27 by George Rishmawi - 1 of International Middle East Media Center - IMEMC Editorial Group

Palestinian and Irish sources described reports claiming that Palestinian exile in Ireland, Jihad Ja’ara escaped an assassination attempt as “total fabrication.”

The Irish Times reported on August 9, that such reports which alleged that the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, tried to assassinate Ja’ara are false.

“The story, which surfaced on the website of Israel's biggest circulation newspaper Yediodh Ahronoidt, has appeared on websites all over the Middle East,” said the Irish Times.

The newspaper quoted Dr. Hikmat 'Ajouri, head of the General Delegation of Palestine to Ireland, as saying, "Jihad was with me the whole day on Thursday and we were laughing. It is a total fabrication and such is a confusing piece of news,"

IMEMC has reported earlier this week, that shots were fired at Ja’ara as he was making his way to the Palestinian Delegation office in Dubiln, and that he survived what was believed to be an assassination attempt.

In 2005, The Irish Evening Herald newspaper reported Friday that Irish police tracked two Israeli Mossad agents who planned to assassinate exiled Fatah leader Jihad Ja'ara.

An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman denied the report as "baseless"

Irish police sources told the newspaper that around the end of January, police managed to track the two Mossad agents, who were collecting intelligence information on Ja'ara, Irish police believe, for the purpose of assassinating him.

Ja'ara and 12 of his colleagues were expelled to various European countries after Israel and the Palestinian Authority approved a deal to end the siege of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem in May 2002.

Ja'ara, who has been living in Dublin since he was deported, was the leader of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah movement, in Bethlehem area.

Ireland has not yet submitted an official complain to Israel, but Irish security sources told the Evening Herald that the Irish justice ministry is still looking for the Mossad agents.

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