Palestinian security forces have in the past two days arrested 40 Palestinians in Hebron suspected of aiding Israel, two days after two men were executed for collaboration, Palestinian security officials today.
The arrests come after Palestinian justice minister Freih Abu Meddein called on all collaborators to surrender, giving them a limited amnesty of 45 days. But he said military tribunals would judge any Palestinians suspected of "helping Israeli forces kill people."
Mr Meddein spoke Saturday after Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority put to death two Palestinians, the first executions for collaboration since the authority was founded in 1994.
Later Saturday two other Palestinians were also sentenced to death for collaboration, while another two received life sentences from a Bethlehem court.
Today, residents of the northern West Bank village of Ajja near Jenin found the body of a Palestinian who had helped Israel during the 1988-1993 Palestinian uprising.
His murder comes the day after the body of another suspected collaborator, 38-year-old Abdel Rahman, was found dumped on his door step in the Arab village of Burqin, also in the northern West Bank.
Mr Faisal Husseini, the most senior Palestinian official in Jerusalem, said yesterday that Palestinian security courts were right to pass death sentences.
But he also warned Palestinians not to take the law into their own hands, and said vigilantees would be charged.
AFP