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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Olmert to Army: Do nothing against terror rocket attacks |
| 2006-12-25 |
| Prime Minister Following a Yesterday, the IDF spotted As WND reported, the IDF several times last week spotted Previously, the IDF used artillery units and aerial strikes against Military leaders told WND defense officials, backed by Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz, yesterday petitioned Olmert at a security cabinet meeting to ease some of the limitations on the army and to allow the military to take out Palestinian rocket crews in Gaza it catches setting up for attacks. The military leaders said Olmert rejected the plan, stating he had confidence Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas would act against the Gaza rocket crews. Olmert said his policy of restraint in the face of Palestinian cease fire violations would continue to "give peace a chance," according to the military leaders, who were present at the meeting. Olmert said he discussed the issue of Palestinian rockets at a meeting Saturday with Abbas. Olmert and Abbas met in Jerusalem to discuss Israeli-Palestinian cooperation and Palestinian infighting that has been waging since Abbas last weekend called for new elections in a move widely seen as an attempt to dismantle the Hamas-led government. Olmert reportedly agreed to a series of concessions to help bolster Abbas, including the transfer of $100 million in frozen taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinian government and the removal of some security checkpoints in the northern West Bank. The checkpoints are regularly credited by the IDF with helping to stop Palestinian terrorists attempting to infiltrate Jewish cities. Israeli political sources told WND Olmert also agreed to freeze Jewish construction in the West Bank and to bulldoze Jewish communities in the territory reportedly built without government authorization. Where's Rachel Corrie when we need her? Olmert said he plans to hold several future meetings with Abbas in light of what he said was progress made Saturday. Vice Premier Shimon Peres told Israeli radio yesterday Olmert's meeting with Abbas could provide an opportunity to carry out the prime minister's plan to withdraw from most of the West Bank. "An opportunity has been created [for West Bank withdrawal], certainly. I don't want to say that it's a done deal. But this is an important opening, one that should not be dismissed," Peres said. Meanwhile, defense officials here are charging the cease-fire in Gaza is damaging Israel's security. The truce called for a halt of smuggling activity by Palestinian groups in Gaza. It also called for a cessation of rocket attacks launched by Palestinian militants in Gaza aiming at nearby Jewish communities in exchange for Israel withdrawing its ground troops from the Strip and halting military activity in the territory. Earlier this month, IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz told Israel's Knesset that Olmert did not fully consult with the Israeli army before agreeing to the cease-fire with Palestinian militants. IDF sources and several prominent Knesset members said the cease-fire is allowing Palestinian groups to continue smuggling weapons into Gaza. They said the truce would provide downtime for militants to train for attacks against Israel. The IDF has been petitioning for a large-scale assault in Gaza. The officials said that according to IDF assessments, the best options to stop the daily rocket fire from Gaza into nearby Jewish communities and to halt the regular smuggling of weapons from neighboring Egypt include drafted plans to retake parts of Gaza. They said other options presented to the Israeli government for a large-scale Gaza assault focusing on dismantling the terror infrastructure inside the Gaza Strip have also been rejected by Olmert. In a series of WND exclusive interviews conducted immediately after last month's cease-fire was finalized, leaders of the four largest Palestinian terror groups in Gaza said the new truce will be used to smuggle weapons into Gaza; reinforce and train "fighter units"; and produce rockets for a future confrontation with the Jewish state. "The cease-fire offers a period of calm for our fighters to recover and prepare for our final goal of evacuating Palestine," said Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees, a Hamas-allied terror organization in the Gaza Strip responsible for many of the recent rocket attacks against Israeli communities. "We will keep fighting [Israel], but for the moment we will postpone certain parts of the military struggle," said Abu Abir. "We will reinforce very quickly and rush what we are doing to prepare [for attacks against Israel] in Gaza and in the West Bank." Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called "military wing," told WND Hamas agreed to the cease-fire "because we need a period of calm to recuperate. This lull in fighting will not bring us to speak about peace." Abu Abdullah is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared military wing. He pointed to Hamas' doctrine, which calls for the destruction of Israel and which refuses to recognize the Jewish state. "The political leadership (of Hamas) will never compromise on these values," the terror leader said. Abu Abdullah said Hamas has its own political reasons to respect the truce. "We wish to show Islam as a ruling party is capable of leading the Palestinian people," he said. "Since Hamas was elected, we have been through only chaotic periods. We want a period of calm to prove we are not only a revolutionary movement but to show the Palestinian people our rule is without the corruption of (the rival) Fatah (party)." But Abu Abdullah said the cease-fire would ultimately end in violence. "All the Palestinian people and all the Muslims will launch a direct confrontation with Israel. This may come soon or it may take some time," Abu Abdullah said. Abu Luay, a leader of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, told WND Israel's call for a cease-fire "proves our rocket attacks work. The Zionists know there is no remedy for our rockets." The Islamic Jihad leader said Palestinian rocket attacks against Israel would resume "at a time of our choosing." Abu Ahmed, the leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, Lots of people, including Me, criticize the President for being too tentative in the war. But compared to Olmert, he's Andrew Jackson reborn. |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #9 it's a very hard lesson. I agree, tw. Even under Abbas' supposedly moderate [spit] leadership, the Palestinian Authority has flouted every agreement, violated every ceasefire and done everything within its power to demolish the roadmap. Yet somehow Israel is required to maintain a sense of credibility about these treacherous bastards for the sake of outside opinion. This has happened so many times before with the exact same results. It's like Einstein said; “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-12-25 21:17 |
| #8 I'll school myself to patience then, but it's a very hard lesson. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-12-25 18:11 |
| #7 I agree, Ship. Bush had better be unspooling a helluva long leash for the IDF's next forays. If the White House urges continued restraint after this |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-12-25 16:49 |
| #6 I'm hoping against hope that Olmert is banking western good will for the inevitable assault on Hez and Ham. Western good will is all important ya see. It's like a cool clothing label. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2006-12-25 14:43 |
| #5 Chasing every militant that has a rocket is like chasing street drug dealers. It is a bad idea and in the end, bad form and a waste of resourses. They need to go after the leadership, funding, and other state sponsors. A hunter killer team would certainly do more damage by killing a local leader and his banker than he would by killing the mortar team. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2006-12-25 13:33 |
| #4 The solution is obvious: attack, but indirectly. When a rocket is launched, have a hit squad kill a bunch on the other side. Say Hamas fires a rocket, then kill eight or ten Fatah. And made it look like Hamas did it. That way, Fatah will do your revenge against Hamas for you, it will increase the hatred between the two devils, you will get your cake and get to eat it, too. Of course, it helps to be selective, picking on those who prefer to attack Israel, and leaving alone those who prefer to kill each other. In a manner of speaking, natural selection. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-12-25 13:17 |
| #3 I've been bashing Olmert with the best of them here lately. I'll just post what Fred said yesterday. It certainly gave me pause to consider. "At the moment Olmert's probably doing the right thing. Decisive action on Israel's part would push the Paleo factions back together." I'll certainly concede that this is one of the few explanations that clarifies anything. There is no sense in giving fractious Hamas and Fatah elements a common enemy to unite against. Little else besides fighting the ever-nefarious Jew could reunite these bloodthirsty maggots right now and that represents a least desireable outcome. Let the Palestinians continue to stay at each others throats without any outside interference. As Napoleon said: "Never interrupt your enemy while he is making a mistake." While there is plenty to argue concerning how both sides are making mistakes, more Palestinians are dying at each others' hands right now and their rockets continue to do little if any damage. Until that changes, this deceiving status quo may well be the best, if minimally satisfying, option. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-12-25 12:30 |
| #2 If someone is killed, could PM Olmert be sued in Israeli court for complicity in murder? The rabbis said waaaaay back at the time of the Maccabees (~125 BCE) that God did not intend Judaism to be a suicide pact. At the time they were ruling on whether or not pius rebels against the Greeks might take up arms to defend themselves if attacked on the Sabbath, but it seems to me equally applicable to present circumstances.* Not that modern Israel is governed by Jewish Law as such, but even so. *At the time the Jews were winning against the superior arms (but empty coffers) of the Syrio-Greeks Sunday-Friday, then the most pius were wiped out in their camps on Saturday, because fighting is work, thus forbidden on the Sabbath. No, I don't get it, either. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2006-12-25 12:03 |
| #1 I smell a coup coming! |
| Posted by: Greremp Uleremp6059 2006-12-25 11:38 |