(Yediot Ahronot-Hebrew) - Felix Frisch The Israeli security services said Tuesday that Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi has been serving as the head of the military wing of Hamas since the elimination of the two previous heads, and he is the one who drafts Hamas' policy of terrorist attacks. "His name comes up repeatedly in investigations," said a security source. "Since the destruction of the Hamas infrastructure in the West Bank, the Gaza leadership has been activating the cadres and Rantisi is the one who leads them. He is in contact with the Hamas leadership based in Syria." The security services believe Hamas had made a strategic decision to block the implementation of the road map and return to widespread attacks against Israeli targets. The decision to strike at Rantisi was made on Sunday in the wake of the attack on an IDF outpost in Gaza in which 4 soldiers were killed. "Of the 53 warnings of planned attacks this week, nearly half come from Hamas," said a security source. The General Security Service (Shabak) said Rantisi was responsible for the launching of Qassam rockets, attacks on settlements, bomb attacks against Israeli armored vehicles, and attempted attacks on Israeli vessels. Rantisi was also accused of recruiting groups of Israeli Arabs into the ranks of Hamas. Security sources said that despite Hamas declarations about a separation between its military and political wings, in the case of Rantisi, "in practice, the military leadership answers to the 'political leadership.' The political leadership of a terrorist organization plans, directs, and sets policy, including in the military sphere."
2003-06-11 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive