(Ha'aretz) - Amos Harel Only dedicated action against the terror groups - mass arrests of Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists, an official announcement of the dismantling of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade - will be interpreted by Israel as meaning Dahlan is serious. Few noticed that Arafat retained control over three key security forces - National Security, General Intelligence, and Force 17 - with a total of 20,000 troops. The defense establishment is in a race against the clock against local terrorist cells, trying to catch as many of the main wanted men as possible before the American referee whistles an end to the race and starts the discussions of the road map and Israeli gestures for Abu Mazen. Then, it will apparently become necessary to sharply restrict military activity, not only in Gaza but in the West Bank, and without Palestinian efforts against the terror groups, that will end up costing Israel a double price.
2003-04-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive