Nablus governor to gunmen: Surrender to PA forces

A small group of people won’t drag us into a major confrontation with Israel, top Palestinian official says

The Palestinian Authority has proposed that members of the Lions’ Den hand themselves over to the Palestinian security forces and dismantle their armed group, which has been responsible for a spate of shooting attacks on IDF soldiers and Jewish settlers in the Nablus area.

In return, the PA would try to convince Israel to stop pursuing the gunmen.

In the past few days, PA security forces summoned family members of some of the gunmen and advised them to talk their sons into laying down their weapons, Palestinian sources revealed on Wednesday. “The goal is to end the phenomenon of the Lions’ Den to avoid a disaster in Nablus,” the sources said.

A senior Palestinian official said that the PA leadership will not allow a small group of gunmen to drag the Palestinians into a major confrontation with Israel.

“The family members were warned that the activities of their sons could give Israel an excuse to launch a large-scale military operation in Nablus, where many people will be killed or injured,” the source said.

Ibrahim Ramadan, PA governor of Nablus, revealed on Wednesday that he held a number of meetings with members of the Lions’ Den in an attempt to persuade them to surrender to Palestinian security forces.

In an interview with a local Palestinian radio station, Ramadan said he told the gunmen that the Palestinian security forces would protect them once they complied.

“My offer is still standing if they are hearing me now,” said Ramadan. “If they come, we will protect them. We have no problem. We can reach a solution with the other side [Israel].”

Asked whether the gunmen have accepted or rejected the offer, the governor said, “Some of them said they want to think it over, while others said no. These are young men who don’t realize the true value of their blood. I’m prepared to go now and bring them from the Old City [of Nablus].”

Ramadan expressed opposition to armed attacks against Israel, saying they were “useless.”

He also criticized Palestinian mothers who sent or encouraged their sons to carry out suicide bombings against Israelis. “There are abnormal mothers who did send their sons,” Ramadan noted. “These are not mothers. No mother sends her son to his death.”

The governor’s criticism of Palestinian mothers drew condemnations from several Palestinians, who accused him of “insulting” the mothers of Palestinian “martyrs,” while others called on him to resign.

The Lions’ Den group, which consists of dozens of gunmen affiliated with various factions including Fatah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, did not comment on Ramadan’s offer to hand themselves over to the PA security forces.

The group did accuse the governor of offending the mothers of “martyrs,” and urged him to submit his resignation.

“Our message to the mothers of martyrs: We kiss your hands, feet and heads,” the Lions’ Den said in a statement. “You are the leaders and we are the soldiers.”