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| Middle East |
| Israel says new terror cells are not Arafat's |
| 2002-10-22 |
| Terrorist attacks in Israel are now being directed from abroad, Israeli intelligence sources said one day after a suicide attack killed at least 14 Israelis on a bus. Israeli officials said the government will not respond with widescale retaliation after Monday's attack. They're holding off so as not to complicate things for the Merkins... A jeep filled with 120 kilograms of explosives was detonated next to an Israeli passenger bus. The vehicle was said to have been driven by two Palestinian insurgents from the Jenin refugee camp. "The terrorist campaign has been largely taken out of the hands of Palestinian leaders," an intelligence source said. "Instead, the orders and money come from abroad and the cells are being composed of a range of groups." We've seen that. Hamas and Islamic Jihad never were in Yasser's control, and al-Aqsa hasn't been for almost a year... Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the Iranian-backed group said the suicide mission was in retaliation for the killing of eight Palestinians in an Israeli military operation last week. It's always in retaliation for something, isn't it? The planning for the attack was attributed to Iyad Sawalha, 30, a resident of Jenin. Sawalha was also alleged to have planned a massive bombing attack in northern Israel in July. That attack was foiled. I doubt he was the one who exploded. Eventually he will, just not at the time and place of his chosing... On Tuesday, a senior Israeli intelligence officer told parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that authorities have recently foiled seven suicide bombings and dozens of other plots. Israeli intelligence sources said Iraq has been directing cells composed of several groups to launch suicide bombings against Israel. The sources said the insurgency cells include members of such groups as Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. There wouldn't be Iraqis involved directly, and the planning and financing will be hidden in Syrian and Iranian channels. But this is part of Sammy's "preemptive strike," just like the demonstrations in Bahrain and the coup attempt in Qatar... The new Palestinian cells are mostly operating in the northern West Bank, the sources said. They said they are based in the cities of Nablus and Jenin as well as surrounding villages and are often in contact with Israeli Arabs. With all the day-to-day lunacy in the area, who's going to notice a few more? Unless they're looking for it... PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, officials said, would not be a target in any Israeli retaliation. Last month, Israeli troops surrounded Arafat's compound in Ramallah, which prompted U.S. and European pressure on Israel to withdraw. Yasser spends a lot of time lately standing around looking stupified. He knows he's not in control, too. But he's the one who unleashed the wind... |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |