Islamic Jihad

IN DEATH, Yasser Arafat might provide his people with a greater opportunity for genuine liberation than anything he accomplished since the signing 11 years ago of the Oslo accords for peace between the Palestinians and the Israelis. But, as always, the power to make the most of this opportunity rests not only with the Palestinians, but also with Israel, the United States, the Europeans and the leaders of Arab states, in that order of influence. More than any of the parties, perhaps more even than Israel, President Bush would have an opportunity to make a difference in the developments following the death of Mr. Arafat.

WASHINGTON - For years, analysts and political pundits alike have been predicting Yasser Arafat's demise. And for just as long, the Palestinian strongman has managed to prove them wrong. But news that the world's most prominent terrorist-turned-statesman may be seriously ill has reopened concerns about the future of Palestinian politics. There is indeed ample cause for concern. Whether now or later, Mr. Arafat's departure from the political scene is certain to be bumpy. Ever since his triumphant return to the Palestinian territories a decade ago, Mr. Arafat has put a premium on monopolizing power.

JERUSALEM - Members of the militant group Hamas blamed Israel yesterday for a car bomb that killed a Hamas leader in Damascus, Syria. Israeli officials declined to confirm or deny involvement in the death of Izz Eldine Subhi Sheik Khalil, 42, a leader of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades. His death came about a month after Hamas claimed responsibility for a double suicide bombing that killed 16 Israelis in Beersheba. The Associated Press said Israeli security sources acknowledged killing Khalil, but officials here did not confirm it. Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said: "The details of this incident are not known to us. All we know is what we heard on the radio and in the media."

IN 1972, The New Yorker's movie critic, Pauline Kael, won herself a place in political lore by expressing astonishment at the Republicans' 49-state landslide victory. "How could that be?" she demanded. "I don't know a single person who voted for Nixon." I don't live in such a rarified world, but most of my friends are voting for John Kerry. And I imagine that a good many will be shocked when President Bush wins in November. It is possible that no Democrat could beat Mr. Bush this year.

JERUSALEM - Israeli troops intensifying their military operation in the West Bank city of Nablus raked an underground hideout with gunfire and flung hand grenades inside yesterday, killing seven militants, witnesses and the army said. Two other Palestinians, identified by Israel as members of militant organizations, were shot and killed in separate incidents yesterday, bringing the death toll in Nablus to 11 over the past three days. The Israeli military operation is the largest in the restive city in nearly a year.

The text of the Aug. 6, 2001, President's Daily Brief released by the White House yesterday: Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US Clandestine, foreign government, and media reports indicate Bin Ladin since 1997 has wanted to conduct terrorist attacks in the U.S. Bin Ladin implied in US television interviews in 1997 and 1998 that his followers would follow the example of World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef and "bring the fighting to America."...

JERUSALEM - Missiles fired from an Israeli military helicopter killed three members of Islamic Jihad yesterday as they rode in a car on the edge of Gaza City. About 10 bystanders, including several children, were reportedly injured in the strike, which took place about 6:30 p.m. local time on a crowded street in the Saftawi neighborhood. Israeli military officials said that two of the men were senior activists in the militant group, which has taken responsibility for numerous shootings and suicide bombings of Israelis.

JERUSALEM - Reviving a much-criticized tactic, Israel killed a Palestinian militant leader yesterday by incinerating his car with a helicopter-fired missile in the middle of a crowded Gaza City street. A passing 12-year-old Palestinian schoolboy was killed and 10 other Palestinians wounded in the midday raid, according to Palestinian hospital authorities. The Israeli army said the target of the attack - the first of its kind in six weeks - was Aziz Mahmoud Shami, a senior local field commander in the military wing of Islamic Jihad.

JERUSALEM - A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at a bus stop outside Tel Aviv yesterday, killing himself and four Israelis shortly after missiles fired from an Israeli helicopter killed five Palestinians, one a senior militant leader. The two attacks were thought to be coincidental, but they came after nearly three months of relative calm and threaten stepped-up efforts by the United States and Egypt to restart a faltering peace process. Renewed violence could send the region hurtling toward a new series of deadly attacks and reprisals that have almost become a choreographed routine of the conflict that has ground on for 38 months and claimed more than 3,500 lives.

JERUSALEM - Masked Palestinian gunmen carried out execution-style killings yesterday of two Palestinians suspected of being informants for Israel and placed their bodies in the central square of the Tulkarm refugee camp in the West Bank. Palestinian militants have killed dozens of suspected informers or collaborators during the past three years of fighting. Such attacks often draw little attention, but the gunmen responsible for this shooting sought to publicize their deed both beforehand and afterward.