Hebron shooting attack not political, Palestinian government says

Jan 2, 2008, 11:07 GMT

Ramallah - The Ramallah-based Palestinian government said Wednesday that a shooting attack which killed two off-duty Israeli soldiers near Hebron last Friday was a 'criminal' incident, and accused Israel of claiming it had a political motive in order to justify its failure to implement peace requirements.

Government spokesman and Minister of Foreign Affairs Riad Malki told Voice of Palestine Radio that the two Palestinians involved in the shooting, in which a third attacker was also killed, have confessed that their purpose was to steal the soldiers' weapons in order to to sell them for a profit.

He said the Palestinian security has arrested the two shortly after the attack and that its investigation has led the security forces to conclude the attack was criminally motivated.

The two did not belong to any political party, Malki said, rejecting Israeli accusations that they came from President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement and that one of them was a member of the national security force.

Malki said the Palestinian security forces returned the weapons the attackers took from the soldiers back to the Israeli authority.

Israel is demanding that the Palestinian Authority hand over the two attackers, who are currently held by the Palestinian security forces.

Malki charged that Israel took advantage of this attack to justify its failure to implement its obligations under the international road map peace plan, which calls on Israel to remove military road blocks in the West Bank and allow more freedom of movement for Palestinians.

The plan also demands the Palestinians crack down on militants.