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Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Debka: Western intelligence archive now in the hands of terrorists
2007-06-16
Debka, so don't believe everything they say...this post is especially apocalyptic...
The Fatah-led general intelligence and security services caved in too fast to shred, wipe or burn documents, computer disks and archives. The entire collection fell into HamasÂ’ hands when they seized Palestinian Preventive Intelligence HQ at Tel Awa (henceforth Tel al-Islam) and the Palestinian General Intelligence center near Gaza port.

DEBKAfileÂ’s intelligence sources say: Never before has a bonanza of Western intelligence secrets on this scale ever reached an implacably hostile Islamist terrorist gang. The US, British and Israeli intelligence services may have suffered their greatest debacle in the war on Islamist terror. It will take them many years to recover.

Hamas has taken possession of hundreds of thousands of documents cataloguing the clandestine operations of Western intelligence services in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the oil emirates. It is now the owner of complete archives of Palestinian undercover links with foreign intelligence services going back decades, with names of spies, political collaborators and double agents. The documentation covers the secret ties Palestinian intelligence maintained from the 1970s, when Yasser Arafat was based in Lebanon, with the Americans, the British, the French, the Israelis and many others.

Most intelligence experts say Israel should have bombed the two buildings and destroyed their contents rather than letting them fall into the hands of an organization and country dedicated to its eclipse.

For Hamas, this booty is priceless – and not only as the repository of bombs for planting under Mahmoud Abbas and his cohorts. The Palestinian group’s Syrian and Iranian sponsors will pay a king’s ransom for this unique collection of explosive secrets hidden by many a Western intelligence agency and government. Damascus and Tehran will be hugely empowered with the means to stay a jump ahead of American moves in the region and tools to sabotage US policies at any time. They will have a store of national secrets and compromising information to hold over the heads of Western leaders and officials, lists of undercover agents, and records of covert operations carried out by the Israeli Mossad, Shin Bet and Military Intelligence, CIA, British MI6 and other Western agencies. Iran, Syria and Hamas will know the names of politicians, including Israelis, who worked secretly with Palestinians and their shady deals.

One intelligence expert said that the Gaza hoard left in enemy hands by Abbas and Mohammed Dahlan are the crown jewels compared with the Saddam HusseinÂ’s intelligence archives.

In the Palestinian security service building, Hamas found computer hard disks covering years of undercover activity and a complete set of sophisticated wiretapping and surveillance equipment and sensors which the CIA and MI6 gave Mahmoud Abbas and his forces. It was all in perfect condition ready to switch on.

After the Nazi regime was defeated at the end of World War II and Eastern Germany fell in the 1990s, there were officials willing to make a desperate effort to destroy or hide their intelligence treasure. Palestinian intelligence officers did not burn a single page.
Posted by:gromky

#11  There was no reason for the CIA to get so close to Fatah. At best, they are reformed killers. "Killers" works for me.
Posted by: McZoid   2007-06-16 17:36  

#10  keep in mind that this is a DEBKA report. That means that there is a very, very tiny probability that this is factual. There is probably some small bit of truth to it but DEBKA tends to be just about the most unreliable source in "news" circles.

I would take anything they publsh with a mountain of salt.
Posted by: crosspatch   2007-06-16 17:17  

#9  let the sale go through - substitute defective ammo
Posted by: Frank G   2007-06-16 16:02  

#8  Most intelligence experts say Israel should have bombed the two buildings and destroyed their contents rather than letting them fall into the hands of an organization and country dedicated to its eclipse.

Gotta go with Alaska Paul on this one. Actually, Israel still should have bombed the compound just out of sheer principle. Hamas must be thwarted at every turn. This must become Israel's new doctrine.
Posted by: Zenster   2007-06-16 15:42  

#7  What caliber do those new colts use, whatever it is, I'd be looking hard at attemps to buy same, and active prevention of any substantial sales.

You think that any of our "Alphabet agencies will look at ammo sales? Nah, me either, it makes too much sense. Just think you could identify the sellers, buyers, and transfer banks all at one fell swoop, therefore it WON'T be done.
Posted by: Redneck Jim   2007-06-16 15:32  

#6  For some reason, most of this seems like crap. The US government would never put valuable intelligence or assets in the hands of a corrupt organization.

Would it? :-)

And yes, I'll bet dollars to donuts that Hamas has their hands on all sorts of cool new guns. For as long as the ammo holds out.

What other kinds of stuff might we have really given a terrorist organization Fatah?
Posted by: gorb   2007-06-16 14:46  

#5  WorldNetDaily, March 27, 2007

The U.S. said today the bulk of the new aid package – $43.4 million – will be used to strengthen Abbas' Force 17 presidential guard units. According to the announcement, the sum includes $14.5 million for "basic and advanced training," $23 million for equipment, $2.9 million to upgrade the guard's facilities and $3 million to provide "capacity building and technical assistance" to the office of Mahmoud Dahlan, Fatah's strongman in Gaza.


After seeing those new Colt M4's being toted around by Hamas hoodlums on the news, I wonder if some or all of those US taxpayer millions are now in the hands of Hamas?
Posted by: Besoeker   2007-06-16 11:45  

#4  If the intelligence was so valuable, the IDF could have turned the Fatah intel compound into fine powder with a bombing run or two. But the IDF did not, so I think that the treasure trove is a little overstated.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2007-06-16 11:38  

#3  What 'moose said.
The only reason I'd worry is that the CIA might be involved, there's always a chance they accidently gave away 4 years of Go Code.
Posted by: Shipman   2007-06-16 11:08  

#2  That was my first thought, too, 'moose. Why would any sane person have given Fatah any intelligence with diddly-doot?

Some of you closer to the tip of the spear could certainly show us the error of our ways....
Posted by: Bobby   2007-06-16 11:06  

#1  Any intelligence information given to Fatah in the past would be so utterly devoid of any useful data as to just be a joke.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2007-06-16 10:29  

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