Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade to target 'Zionists outside Palestine,' if prisoners are not released.

_________________________

Thursday, April 13, 2006 News

Sharon era officially over

The government convened Tuesday morning for a special session in order to declare that Ehud Olmert is no longer a temporary replacement for ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, ynetnews.com reported.

On Friday, Sharon will complete a 100-day stay at hospital, paving the way for declaring him permanently unfit to lead the country by law. Throughout the period, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz refrained from declaring Sharon permanently unfit, while Olmert made sure to work from the Trade and Industry Ministry and not from the Prime Minister's Office.

The government convened Tuesday as a result of the upcoming Passover holiday, which will prevent a later meeting. The change in status would only go into effect Friday, but the act is largely symbolic and Olmert's powers will remain virtually unchanged. Mostly, the government session marked an official farewell from Sharon's leadership.

"I thank the government members, who expressed their trust in me," Olmert said after the government unanimously approved the change in his status.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary Yisrael Maimon said: "This is a difficult and sad day for all of us, the personal aides that worked with Sharon, the secretaries, and all employees at the prime minister's office. This is certainly a difficult day for members of Sharon's family."

"We didn't imagine we'd reach this moment. We're praying and hoping for Ariel Sharon's wellbeing from here," Maimon said.

Ariel Sharon served as Israel's prime minister for more than five years, since he beat Labor's Ehud Barak in the 2001 elections. Sharon entered the Prime Minister's Office shortly after the outbreak of the Palestinian intifada and served during one of the most turbulent periods in the State of Israel's history.

The highlight of Sharon's term in office was the disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, which followed a determined parliamentarian and public struggle.

Late last year, Sharon initiated a "big bang" that shook up Israeli politics by quitting the Likud party, the political home he established more than 30 years earlier. The ailing prime minister proceeded to establish Kadima, the recent elections winner, but he did not get to see its successful showing at the polls.

Sharon underwent several surgeries in recent months and will soon be transferred to a rehabilitation center. His condition continues to be characterized as "serious and stable" and he is still in a coma. Yet even now, close to 100 days since he was hospitalized following a massive stroke, close associates and family members continue to regularly visit him in hospital and believe he will open his eyes.

Mofaz: No Quiet In Gaza Strip Unless Quiet in Israel

Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz visited IDF soldiers on Tuesday stationed near the Gaza Strip, telling them to continue their operations against Kassam rocket launchers, the Jerusalem Post reported (www.jpost.com).
But, Mofaz cautioned, the soldiers should be careful not to harm innocent civilians.
Mofaz's warning followed an IDF operation on Monday afternoon in which 8-year-old Hadil Ghraben was killed and 13 others were wounded when two shells hit a house in Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip.
Halutz said that in spite of Monday's incident, the IDF stood by its new policy of firing artillery shells into populated Palestinian areas in an effort to stop rocket fire, since the terrorists firing Kassam rockets at Israel were operating from residential areas in the Gaza Strip, and hiding among the houses.
"It is the Palestinian terrorists who are choosing the areas which the IDF are shelling," exclaimed the Chief of Staff.
Hadil's father, Muhammad Ghraben said that no rockets were launched from area of their home.
Security forces distributed fliers among the Gaza residents urging them of the danger that the terrorists posed by firing rockets from within their neighborhoods. "The Palestinian population needs to be aware that if they rein in terrorists, they can live quietly," explained Halutz.
Mofaz stressed that Hamas was forcing Israel's hand by not taking adequate steps against terror. "So long as there is no quiet on the Israeli side, there will be no quiet on the Palestinian side," he added.
Meanwhile, a Kassam rocket, launched from the northern Gaza Strip, landed south of Ashkelon on Tuesday morning.
No one was wounded and no damage was reported.
__________________________________________