(Jerusalem Post) Dan Diker - Following the IDF's killing of three Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists in Nablus who were wanted for last week's murder of Rabbi Meir Chai, a father of seven, the U.S. requested clarification from Israeli National Security Adviser Uzi Arad, even though the IDF operation was no different than hundreds of other actions against Palestinian terror groups. There are multiple security and intelligence channels between Israel and the U.S. that should have been used to handle these types of security queries. But in this extraordinary case, the U.S. demanded a public clarification on behalf of the PA. It seems more appropriate that the U.S. issue clarifications to Israel. At least one of the Aksa Brigades terrorists - Annan Sabah, who was found with two M16 automatic rifles and two other firearms - had been part of the amnesty program for former Fatah-affiliated terrorists that was implemented in no small part at the behest of the U.S. The American-trained and -funded Palestinian security forces under the command of PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad have either refused or been unable to uproot the terror infrastructure of the Fatah-associated Aksa Martyrs Brigades. Fayyad has even assigned some Aksa commanders to senior positions in the PA security forces. The writer is director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs and a senior policy analyst at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
2009-12-29 08:40:57Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive