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Paleo Authority stages arrests, seals tunnels - Israel sez nice try
JPost - Rg Reqâd; EFLPalestinian police arrested at least 12 weapons smugglers Saturday, seized arms and shut down two smugglersâ tunnels between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, security officials said. It was not clear whether the raids marked the start of a clampdown demanded by Israel and the United States or were merely a temporary tactical ploy. "See? - we arrested those smugglers An IDF Officer said, "If this is a real change of strategy, we will stop and reconsider our steps. However, this may be no more than a tactic ploy, caused by fear of Israelâs reaction. While we are not âgung-hoâ for military action, we will not play by PA rules either. In the meantime, we are acting according to plan. We havenât stopped fighting Hamas, or put on hold our military action, which will be seen in the next few days." "Got a surprise for a couple bigs coming up" Having said that, officials predict that Israel will display military restraint in the coming days, allowing for a fundamental change in PA policy and testing its determination to crack down on Palestinian terror organizations. "There is a void between what PA officials say and what they do. It is our opinion that they donât realize how serious the situation really is," said the officer. "When and if they do, it will be a good reason on our part to stop and reassess our steps." Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir said Saturdayâs action was not enough, and that Israel expects Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan to arrest those involved in violence against Israel. "We expect Dahlan to take his 20,000 troops and to start making arrests of the terrorists," he said. "We donât need any more words." Actions required? Not meaningless Palestinian legislator Saeb Erekat said the closing of the tunnels reflects the Palestinian Authorityâs determination to enforce the law. "The obstacle to this (crackdown) now is the Israeli policy of incursions, assassinations, building walls and noncompliance with the road map," he said, a stance echoed by many Palestinian comments to the media. Kill him first, please Posted by: Frank G 2003-08-24 |
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