ANOTHER ABOUT FACE by Arafat who now will not release 17 terrorists wanted by the IDF. I wish I had time to link to all the previous stories which flip-flopped between reporting on no agreement and agreements to transfer the "militants" to PA prisons in Jericho.

One of the reasons for this non-decision is pressure from the terrorist groups to end the hudna if the terrorists are moved. Of course, Arafat couldn't care less if the hudna ended, so there must be some other non-reported threat to Arafat's reign. Threat of an outright civil war, perhaps?

There are many telling quotes in the article. One:

Fatah leader Sakher Habash said his group's main goal is to protect the wanted men wherever they are. "There should be no wanted people," he added. "The road map and the hudna oblige Israel to withdraw from Ramallah and all the Palestinian areas so that no one would be wanted."

Let's just take a look at two points from the phase 1 of the roadmap (emphasis mine):

- Palestinians declare an unequivocal end to violence and terrorism and undertake visible efforts on the ground to arrest, disrupt, and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning violent attacks on Israelis anywhere.
- Rebuilt and refocused Palestinian Authority security apparatus begins sustained, targeted, and effective operations aimed at confronting all those engaged in terror and dismantlement of terrorist capabilities and infrastructure. This includes commencing confiscation of illegal weapons and consolidation of security authority, free of association with terror and corruption.

Yes, Israel is also to withdraw (and is) from parts of the West Bank in phase 1, but not so terrorists can run free and "not be wanted."