(Weekly Standard) Jonathan Schanzer - For a decade now, the arsenals of Palestinian terror groups have been armed and replenished by way of short smuggling tunnels that stretch across Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip. It is this Palestinian-made labyrinth, more than the Israeli-made fence, that poses a long-term threat to Middle East peace. Thousands of weapons and much ammunition have passed through, including heavy machine guns, armor piercing weapons, rocket-propelled grenades, and possibly even SAM-7 antiaircraft missiles. Raw materials necessary to build rockets are often smuggled in, as are high explosives for suicide bombings. According to Israeli sources, there are always three or four tunnels operational at any one time. When soldiers work to locate and destroy the tunnels, they often come under sniper fire. According to Israeli defense minister Shaul Mofaz, the Egyptians "aren't making a 100% effort to prevent the smuggling of weapons through the tunnels."
2003-08-14 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive