(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon- East Jerusalem Arabs are a major reservoir for recruiting terrorists, Shin Bet head Avi Dichter told the cabinet Sunday. East Jerusalem Arabs share the same ideology as West Bank Palestinians and are being recruited because of the mobility they enjoy by virtue of their Israeli ID cards and license plates. Since the outbreak of the violence in 2000, some 100 east Jerusalem Arabs have been directly involved either in carrying out attacks or in transporting terrorists who carried out attacks, Dichter said. Many more have been involved in gathering intelligence for attacks. As it becomes more difficult for Palestinians to penetrate into Israel because of the security fence, the value of east Jerusalem Arabs to the terrorist organizations will only increase. Dichter said that the terror is not an endless pit, but rather a "barrel that has a bottom." Palestinian terror, he said, "is not an ocean that it is impossible to empty."
2004-07-05 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive