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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Pesach Massacre Averted: Hamas Mass Murder Car was in Tel Aviv |
| 2007-04-10 |
| by Gil Ronen and Hillel Fendel For as yet unknown reasons, a massive Hamas terror attack intended to take place in the Tel Aviv area during the Passover Seder was averted. A similar attack five years ago killed 30 people in Netanya and triggered the IDF's Operation Defensive Shield. The General Security Service (Shabak) released the news of the near-attack while announcing that it had arrested 19 Hamas terrorists in Kalkilye who were involved with this and other planned attacks. The Shabak said that a Hamas terrorist had successfully entered the Greater Tel Aviv area in a car laden with 100 kg. (220 lbs.) of explosives before Passover. Besides the explosives, it contained large amounts of shrapnel material, intended to maximize carnage. For reasons that are not yet known, the attack was not carried out and the terrorist drove the car back to Kalkilye, from where it had come. The car exploded in Kalkilyeh, in what the Shabak says was a 'work accident.' Some reports say the suicide terrorist simply "changed his mind." The would-be suicide terrorist was able to drive the car into Tel Aviv with the help of his Israeli ID card, which he received as a result of his marriage (or his father's, according to some versions) to an Arab-Israeli from Taibeh. The ID made it easy for him to drive past IDF roadblocks from Kalkilye – which is under Hamas/Palestinian Authority control – into the nearby Tel Aviv area. His vehicle also carried Israel license plates. Security officials note that Arab terror organizations routinely make use of family ties to Israeli-Arabs in order to facilitate terror attacks. Kalkilye, east of Raanana, is surrounded by the partition fence on three sides, part of which is a tall concrete wall. PA affairs correspondent Haggai Huberman notes the irony: "While the State of Israel spends billions of shekels on walls and fences, at the same time it issues Palestinian terrorists Israeli ID cars so that the terrorists can turn the wall/fence into a mockery and cross them easily." Huberman adds that the Shabak has admitted that Israel's attempt to prevent harm to the fabric of life of the Arabs of Kalkilye and nearby "allows free movement to those with Israeli ID cards, and even those with PA identity cards, in and out of Kalkilye." "We also see," Huberman noted, "that specifically in Kalkilye, one of the quieter PA cities, Hamas terrorists are now working to carry out major attacks, after spending time building their capabilities to do so. The stage of 'building the force' has passed, and the process is now in the stage of 'carrying out attacks.' Even after the arrest of the 19, attacks are still being planned, including in the immediate short-range." The Kalkilye Hamas infrastructure was responsible for the massacre of 21 young Israelis outside the Dolphinarium discotheque in June 2001. After a period of dormancy it has now rebuilt itself, according to security officials. The officials say that from November 2006, Hamas has been upgrading its terror abilities in Judea and Samaria, and preparing attacks that can be carried out at short notice. Iran and Syria have been assisting this project. The Shabak recently carried out numerous arrests among Hamas terrorists in the Kalkilye area, after a period in which the local Hamas cell grew and developed its abilities to carry out attacks. The GSS action was intended to prevent attacks during the Pesach holiday. The results of the interrogations which followed showed that the Hamas terror infrastructure in Kalkilye was working on several attacks simultaneously. The officials say that Hamas has switched phases from preparation of the attacks to implementation, and is now planning to launch additional attacks |
| Posted by:anonymous5089 |
| #13 in Iraq moderate muslims are the victims of the jihadis, more often than not. liberalhawk, I'm curious as to what sort of connection you might draw between the slaughter of so many Iraqi "moderate Muslims" and the fact that many jihadis, bomb vest murderers in particular, come from "moderate" Muslim homes. On the one hand these "moderate" Muslims seem unable to avoid the crosshairs of insurgent terrorists, yet on the other, these selfsame moderates also produce many new recruits for global jihad. I find this contradiction to be quite serious in nature and symptomatic of an underlying malaise that, while not readily apparent — to the Western eye at least — still epitomizes the great gulf between what actual "moderate" Muslims should be and what, in fact, they are. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-10 19:00 |
| #12 It wasn't lent, Mac. Either he got it through marriage to an Israeli Arab, or because his father did -- the reporters offered both possibilities. Which makes it simple: either his wife divorces him and he's stripped of his citizenship, or his father disowns him and he's stripped of his citizenship. Or the responsible party chooses to stand by him, in which case the family are stripped of their citizenship and exiled beyond the Wall. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2007-04-10 19:00 |
| #11 $60m in US aid freed for Palestinians |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-04-10 19:00 |
| #10 Whoever the Israeli Arab was who lent him the identity card, he and his family should be stripped of Israeli citizenship, their assets confiscated, and the entire extended family deported to Gaza. That would encourage the others to think twice before helping murderers. I'm absolutely amazed there haven't been more Baruch Goldsteins. The muzzies deserve it SO much.... |
| Posted by: Mac 2007-04-10 18:22 |
| #9 No moderation needed. |
| Posted by: rhodesiafever 2007-04-10 17:23 |
| #8 #7 Shia & Sunni killing each other, what's so moderate about it. |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2007-04-10 17:09 |
| #7 in Iraq moderate muslims are the victims of the jihadis, more often than not. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-04-10 16:17 |
| #6 Moderate Muslims are the shield while Jihadists are the sword. |
| Posted by: JFM 2007-04-10 14:44 |
| #5 "What does this say for Israeli-Muslims ? What does it say for 'moderate Muslims' ? " It says that not all Israeli Arabs are "moderate muslims". Which is hardly news, Im afraid. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2007-04-10 14:21 |
| #4 There is more to this story than meets the eye. Maybe there was no actual attack planned, and it's just Hamas propaganda. Or maybe an attack was averted through some kind of intelligence operation (electronic or humint) and the story is modified to disguise the technique/source. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2007-04-10 13:24 |
| #3 Moderate Muslims, why do they hate us ? Because they're allowed to get away with it. Only when the West begins to ensure that equal or greater numbers of these so-called "moderate" Muslims feel our pain will there be any progress. Moderate Muslims are worthless. They are merely a silent resource pool for global jihad. Only active reformists like Dr. Jasser are worth a damn. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-10 13:18 |
| #2 What does this say for Israeli-Muslims ? What does it say for 'moderate Muslims' ? The way I read it, Muslims cannot be trusted. Not with your life, anyway. Moderate Muslims, why do they hate us ? |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-04-10 13:02 |
| #1 Attacks during the High Holy Days should be answered with a campaign during Ramadan. It is an element of almost psychotic cruelty to disrupt the most sacred celebrations of a nation. I realize that this is Hamas' precise intent and for that they should be liquidated, one and all. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-04-10 12:57 |