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IDF Commander: Don't Trust Dahlan

(Ha'aretz) - Amos Harel Maj. Gen. Doron Almog, head of the IDF Southern Command, does not have great faith in Mohammed Dahlan. In 1994, Almog oversaw the IDF's redeployment in the Gaza Strip under the "Gaza and Jericho First" agreement. Dahlan came from Tunis to head the Preventive Security Service in Gaza. During the first 10 months of the deal, 18 Israelis, both soldiers and civilians, were killed in Gaza. The attacks, mostly committed by the Islamic organizations, continued despite Dahlan's assurances that the PA would stop them. The last thing that interests Dahlan, he said, is Israel's security. Even if an agreement is reached - and Almog believes that "temporary conditions" for a cease-fire have been created - Almog does not expect much of the PA security services. "They will never be 'arrest subcontractors' for us. No Palestinian wants to be seen as a collaborator. The PA will not fight Hamas. Their model is calming things down without using force. The hard-core terrorists, the arms production, and the incitement will continue to exist, on top of the huge wells of hatred created by the preachers in the mosques every Friday. There they say explicitly: 'The fight will continue until Ashdod and Ashkelon are liberated.'" Speaking to his officers, Almog urged them "under no circumstances to place our trust in the PA." He believes that by continuing current security doctrines, it is possible to "contain" terror within the Gaza Strip - to keep it at a tolerable level, and to ensure that it does not spill over into Israel.
2003-06-27 00:00:00
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