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| Israel-Palestine |
| Al-Qaeda avoiding attacking Israel - for now |
| 2005-07-25 |
| Al Qaeda seeks to strike at Israel but there is no concrete indication such an attack is imminent, a senior Israeli official said on Sunday. Bombings in Britain and the Egyptian Sinai have stirred speculation the Jewish state, which Osama bin Laden has long vilified, could be high on the group's hit list. But Danny Arditi, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's top counter-terrorism advisor, said: "We have no information, for now, on intended al Qaeda operations against Israel." "My assessment is that we are slowly coming into their sights," he told Israel's Army Radio. "They are getting closer, but they are not yet close." With Palestinians fighting a 4 1/2-year-old revolt, some have asked whether al Qaeda could be drafted in. The speculation gained momentum when al Qaeda blew up an Israeli-owned hotel and tried to shoot down an Israeli airliner in Kenya in 2002. But while Islamic militants in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip share al Qaeda's hatred of Israel and use suicide tactics to kill and maim in the same way, experts say doctrinal differences preclude cooperation between the groups. Al Qaeda operates worldwide, targeting non-Muslims and moderate Muslims alike. By contrast, Hamas and kindred Palestinian factions limit their attacks to Israeli Jews and have sought political accommodation with more secular compatriots. Hamas was quick to disavow al Qaeda-style bombers who killed at least 88 people, most of them Egyptians, in the coastal resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Saturday. It and other Palestinian factions also condemned the recent London bombings. The Abdullah al-Azzam Brigades, a group claiming links to al Qaeda, said it was behind the bombings in the Egyptian resort, but experts cast doubts on the authenticity of the claim. "We demand that Muslims and Arabs unite in their efforts against the Zionist enemy and not to waste their efforts here and there," said Mushir al-Masri, Hamas spokesman in Gaza. A senior Israeli intelligence analyst, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Israel fears Hamas hardliners, unhappy with signs the group could shift towards the Palestinian political mainstream, might break away in favour of al Qaeda. "We will be looking to Egypt to help stop al Qaeda elements reaching Gaza after our withdrawal," the analyst said. But Efraim Halevy, a former director of Israel's spy service Mossad, saw another external agent keeping al Qaeda out -- Iran. "You could say the Iranians beat al Qaeda in terms of reaching the Palestinians," Halevy said, repeating longstanding Israeli charges that the Islamic republic has encouraged attacks by some Palestinian factions opposed to Middle East peace moves. "Apart from that, Hamas rules the roost and will not give ground to an outside group like al Qaeda," Halevy said. Iran, which does not recognise Israel's right to exist, says it is not involved in attacks from the West Bank and Gaza. But Iranian-linked Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon have acknowledged giving some support to Palestinian militants. Israeli officials have also accused Hizbollah of trying to recruit members of the Jewish state's Arab minority, which makes up almost 20 percent of the population. But there have not been similar allegations of an al Qaeda presence among Israeli Arabs. After the attacks on Israeli targets in Mombasa, Sharon ordered Mossad to hone the hunt for al Qaeda abroad. A few months later, a militant accused by Israeli security sources of running an al Qaeda cell was killed by a car-bomb in Ein el Hilwa, a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon. Lebanese security sources have said they believe there are two groups linked to al Qaeda operating in Ein el Hilwa, but denied that support is widespread. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #2 A few years back there was a spate of kidnappings of tourists in Indian Kashmir. The terorists (led by Omar Saeed Sheik - guy who killed Dannny Pearl and who wired $100,000 to Mohammed Atta on orders of ISI general Ahmad) grabbed a pair of Israelis one day. Indian electronic intercepts of the communications from their ISI handlers across the border were quite revealing. "They're Israeli ... you idiots, you've killed us all!" |
| Posted by: john 2005-07-25 21:33 |
| #1 Maybe they have tried. Haven't the Israelis stopped 92 attacks? I guess ALQ only pulls off successful (and devestating!) attacks. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-07-25 12:38 |