Pro-Saudi militia being recruited in Gaza

JERUSALEM, March 18 (UPI) -- A new pro-Saudi militia is being recruited in three Palestinian towns in the southern Gaza Strip with Egypt's blessing, say military sources.

More than 1,000 Palestinians have joined the group in the past two weeks in the towns of Deir al Balakh, Khan Yunis and Rafah, Debkafile reported Wednesday.

The military intelligence Web site said it has learned from sources that the new Gaza group is promising greater militancy against Israel than Hamas and Islamic Jihad combined.

Debkafile said the Saudis have been pumping weapons, cash and dozens of military instructors into the area through Egyptian territory, a move that couldn't take place without Cairo's knowledge.

The new Gaza organization is reportedly intended to complement a pro-Saudi group established in southern Lebanon in January.

Dubbed the Arab Islamic Resistance Organization, that group has staged war games near the Israeli border, Debkafile said.