(UPI/Washington Times) Joshua Brilliant - Top Israeli army officers warn that Palestinian militants are preparing to resume hostilities, possibly after Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank. A senior military source interviewed this week said that the militant Palestinian groups' leaders and operational commanders assume the calming-down period will not last long. Members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade want to resume fighting, and are arming, recruiting, training, and planning for the next round, the source said. Palestinians in Gaza are working to extend the range of their rockets and conduct "very many" test firings into the sea, he said. In some instances, when Israel provided the PA with weapon smugglers' names, Palestinian security officials warned the smugglers that the Israelis were on their trail, he said. The Egyptians, too, "could do much more to stop the smuggling. They know the smugglers quite well," he added.
2005-04-29 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive