The Israeli security forces exposed two Palestinians from Nablus who admitted they planned to poison the food in the restaurant in Ramat Gan where the

On March 19, 2008 , the Israel Security Agency and Israeli police detained Anas Mustafa Sayid Sallum, and Ihab Ahmed Abu Riyal, both 21 and residents of Nablus . The two, who were in Israel illegally and who worked at the Express Grill near the stock exchange in Ramat Gan , planned to poison the restaurant's food. They were detained a few days before they could put their plan into action . 2. During interrogation the two stated that they had been recruited by Fatah's Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and that they had planned to use a poison that was tasteless, odorless and colorless and whose influence would be felt four hours after ingestion , the time lapse enabling them to harm a large number of restaurant patrons . They were supposed to receive the poison from two wanted terrorist operatives in the Balata refugee camp in Nablus , who also discussed with them the possibility of their assisting a suicide bomber to infiltrate into Israel .

3. The Fatah/Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades operative network in Nablus which enlisted the two is directed and financed by Hezbollah . It continues making plans to carry out various types of terrorist attacks in Israel , possibly with the aid of other Palestinians residing or working in the country illegally. That offers further proof that Nablus continues as a focal point for terrorist activity against Israel and that despite the intensive activity of the Palestinian security forces, there are still terrorist operative networks belonging to Fatah and the other terrorist organizations active there. 2

4. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the Balata refugee camp denied the report. The organization issued a statement to the effect that the accusations were nothing more than an excuse to justify “the Israeli aggression against the cities of the West Bank, especially Nablus ” (PNN Website, April 11).

5. This was not the first instance of poisonings planned by the terrorist organizations. A similar attempt was exposed in September 2002,when three Hamas operatives who lived in East Jerusalem, one of whom was a cook, were detained on suspicion of planning to poison patrons of Café Rimon in the center of Jerusalem .

1 According to a report from the Israel Security Agency.

2 For further information see “Appendix A: Nablus as a test case for Palestinian security activities (November 2007-early January, 2008)” in our January 11, 2008 Bulletin entitled “Has the Palestinian Authority fulfilled its security commitments, and to what extent, in accordance with the road map? (Interim analysis)” .