As Hamas Moves to Mainstream, a Rival Seeks to Upstage it with Violence

Laratian Sukh, The Associated Press:

A few hundred gunmen, a violent ideology and alleged funding from Iran this lethal mix has turned Islamic Jihad into one of the biggest threats to the fragile Mideast truce. READ MORE

Unlike its big brother Hamas, which is eyeing the Palestinian mainstream by seeking political office, Islamic Jihad has no such ambitions, and has launched attacks on Israel regardless of the Palestinian public's longing for a respite from violence.

On Tuesday, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside a shopping mall in the Israeli seaside city of Netanya, killing three women and wounding at least 30 other people.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility by Islamic Jihad, but Palestinian police said the bomber, 18-year-old Ahmed Abu Khalil, was sent by the same Islamic Jihad cell that was behind a Tel Aviv nightclub bombing that killed five Israelis a couple of weeks into the truce. In both cases, Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas prodded the cell into action and apparently provided funding, Palestinian police said.

Islamic Jihad's political leaders said they could not comment on activities of the military wing, but that the group was committed to the Feb. 8 truce declaration. However, the group's adherence to the cease-fire has been shaky from the start, with the group insisting on the right to retaliate for what it perceives as Israeli violations, such as arresting activists.

After the nightclub bombing, Israeli troops began hunting the masterminds, setting the stage for more attacks by Islamic Jihad.

The group also carried out several attacks in June, including firing deadly rockets at a Jewish settlement in Gaza and killing an Israeli motorist in the West Bank. In early June, Israeli troops killed an Islamic Jihad commandeer in a firefight.

``The occupation never stopped and the resistance never stopped,'' Abdel Halim Izzedine, a West Bank leader of the group, said earlier this month. ``If they (Israelis) slow things down, we will slow things down. If they escalate, we will escalate.''

As part of the truce deal, Israel had pledged to halt arrest raids. However, Islamic Jihad has become a target again, said Lt. Col. Erez Winner, a senior Israeli commander in the West Bank, speaking before Tuesday's bombing. ``Islamic Jihad has taken itself absolutely out of the agreement with its attacks, and so from our view, we are operating fully against them, as we did before,'' he said.

Can Islamic Jihad drag Israel and the Palestinians back into full-blown fighting? Israeli and Palestinian analysts believe the answer is yes, if it so wishes.

Founded some 25 years ago, Islamic Jihad carried out several deadly attacks on Israelis in the mid-1980s. Hamas was founded soon after. The two have identical goals: destroying Israel and replacing it with an Islamic state. However, Hamas also runs a social welfare system of schools, clinics and charities, and has done well in recent Palestinian elections against its larger rival, the ruling Fatah movement.

Islamic Jihad meanwhile remains relatively marginal. It is strongest in Gaza and Jenin, while its leaders are based mostly in Syria, though some also live in Lebanon and Egypt.

Fatah and Hamas are expected to seek quiet during Israel's Gaza withdrawal, presenting an opportunity for Islamic Jihad to flex its muscle with more attacks.

``They want to show that their capacity within the Palestinian arena is bigger than it is,'' said Boaz Ganor, an Israeli counterterrorism expert. ``They want to show they are more patriotic than any other organization, and they would like to challenge the (Palestinian) regime. Simply, they are against any other activity but violence.''

Palestinian legislator Ziyad Abu Amr, who frequently mediates between Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and militant groups, said Islamic Jihad could bring down the truce ``if it insists on retaliating and Israel persists in attacking.''

``Eventually,'' he said, ``Hamas will be put in an embarrassing position and realize that it can't just sit there with its hands tied while Islamic Jihad fights.''

While Hamas is tightly organized, Islamic Jihad largely consists of small cells of gunmen, who Israeli and American analysts say get funding and direction from Iran, one of Israel's most implacable foes. Hezbollah militants serve as middlemen, contacting West Bank cells by phone and e-mail, say Islamic Jihad members.

Martiu Indyk, the U.S. ambassador to Israel during the Clinton administration and now an analyst with a U.S. think tank, said Islamic Jihad is an extension of the Iranian intelligence service. Whenever Hamas and other groups have tried to calm the situation, ``Islamic Jihad stirred things up,'' he told reporters in Jerusalem during a recent visit.

Adnan Khader, the group's spokesman in the West Bank town of Ramallah, denies Islamic Jihad gets its orders from abroad.

``These are just excuses to target Iran, Syria, and Islamic Jihad,'' he said. ``All our decisions are made in Palestine.''