[Jerusalem Post] Yaakov Katz - At Wednesday's security cabinet meeting, Israel's defense establishment - including the IDF, Mossad and Shin Bet - was extremely pessimistic about what will happen the day after the Annapolis peace meeting. Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin warned that Mahmoud Abbas was too weak to implement an agreement after the summit. At the same time, he said, if Israel did not engage Abbas as a partner today, it might find itself without a partner tomorrow. According to recent intelligence assessments, and contrary to public thinking, Hamas is just as strong in the West Bank as it is in Gaza. While in Gaza Hamas men walk around in the open with assault rifles and anti-tank missiles, in the West Bank the group's power core can be found in the mosques as well as in welfare and financial institutions.
2007-11-22 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive