(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - Only the precise intelligence from the Shin Bet and the efficient deployment by the Israel Defense Forces at the Erez crossing in Gaza prevented a total collapse of the calm in the territories Monday. If the would-be suicide bomber had managed to get through and blow herself up at Soroka Medical Center, the understandings reached between Israelis and Palestinians at Sharm al-Sheikh last February would have ended. The would-be bomber was dispatched by a local Fatah faction in the northern Gaza Strip. The fact that people from Abbas' own party can plan such an attack at the height of the most reasonable period the Palestinians have experienced since 2000 attests to the state Abbas is in. With blatant encouragement from headquarters in Damascus, within four days, Islamic Jihad attempted a sophisticated attack on Kfar Darom, fired rockets at Sderot, killed an Israeli soldier on the Philadelphi route, and murdered a civilian in the West Bnak.
2005-06-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive