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IDF Officers: Cancellation of Special Security Zones May Lead to Terror

(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - Israel Defense Forces brigade commanders in the Gaza Strip earlier this week expressed concern about the stricter rules of engagement under the period of calm instilled by the Palestinians, warning they could lead to terror attacks against Israelis. When the calm began at the end of January, the IDF altered its rules of engagement in the territories previously employed to counter terrorist infiltration threats. The army had declared special security zones (SSZ) in broad areas near settlements, along roads used by the Israeli populace, adjacent to the Philadelphi corridor on the Israel-Egypt border, and adjacent to the "green line." In this way, the IDF almost completely prevented infiltrations. After the number of violent incidents subsided, the army stopped enforcing the SSZ regime. Since the end of January, there have been more than 40 instances in which unarmed infiltrators were caught after having crossed the Gaza perimeter fence with the help of ladders and a method that disrupts the electronic alarm system. The fact that only job seekers have been caught thus far does not negate the possibility that next time it will be terrorists attacking one of the kibbutzim near the "green line."
2005-04-19 00:00:00
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