(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Sunday's operations in Gaza were designed to signal to the Islamic organizations that they will not be allowed to exploit the IDF withdrawal to gain control. Israel, through actions such as these, is trying to disabuse the Islamic fundamentalists of the notion that disengagement means complete Israeli disengagement. A senior diplomatic official said Sunday that Israel is trying to send a clear message that this is a sample of what the Palestinians can expect if terrorist attacks from Gaza continue once Israel withdraws. The idea behind operations like this now is to prove that not only will the prospect of the seemingly imminent withdrawal not deter Israel from taking offensive actions, but even the withdrawal itself will not put an end to these types of operations. Even as these signals are being sent, Jerusalem is engaged in intensive talks with Washington and Cairo to find elements within the PA able to take control, in order to prevent a situation where Israel will have to move in and out of Gaza - even after withdrawal.
2004-03-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive