The Palestinian Authority condemned Israel's killing of a Palestinian officer in a helicopter missile strike today and accused Israel of conducting an assassination policy.
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction, the driving force in a nearly five-month-old revolt against the Israeli occupation, vowed to avenge the killing of Masoud Ayad.
"We will avenge Ayad's assassination and Zionists will have to pay for their crimes", a Fatah official told Reuters by telephone.
Ayad, 60, was killed today when an Israeli helicopter fired at least three missiles at his car. The Palestinian Authority denied Israeli's assertion that he was an agent of the Iranian-backed Hizbollah guerrilla group, saying he had been a member of the Fatah faction for 30 years.
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The Palestinian Authority said Ayad's killing was further proof that Israel is determined to carry out its treacherous aggression on the Palestinian people .
Palestinians say at least 20 activists have been killed since a Palestinian uprising erupted almost five months ago.
"The Palestinian National Authority strongly condemns this ugly crime and condemns the Israeli government's pursuit of an assassination policy against its cadres and citizens", the Palestinian Ministry of Information said in a statement.
Ayad's death and the shooting death of a 14-year-old Palestinian today brought the toll to 389 people, most of them Palestinians, killed during the revolt. The dead include 53 Israelis and 13 Israeli Arabs.
Reuters