Palestinian Security Chief Jibril Rajoub: Israel/Bush May Be Behind Sinai Attacks

The following are excerpts from an interview with Arafat's National Security Advisor Jibril Rajoub:

Rajoub: Who has profited from the events in Taba? In my opinion, the first to profit is Sharon and the second is Bush. Sharon, in his continuous and unprecedented aggression against the Palestinian people in Gaza and elsewhere, will try to use what happened in Taba as a pretext to continue his war under the title of "fighting terrorism," although we are subjected to Sharon's official and international terrorism.

The second to profit, as I've said, is Bush because Bush, too, internally…Bush is facing elections, and I believe he needs operations like this to justify his aggression in Iraq and to justify his defense of the Israeli aggression in Palestine.

Interviewer:Is it possible that Israelis are behind this operation - the Mossad, or other Israeli elements?

Jibril Rajoub: In my opinion, anything is a possibility, and the first thing you must look for in any crime is who stands to profit from it. What happened in Taba is a crime against Egypt, against the Arabs and against the Palestinian cause. I believe that on this issue there is consensus in the Arab political spectrum, from the extreme right to the extreme left. As for the possibility that Sharon or an Israeli institution did it - I believe this is one of the possibilities that should be investigated.