By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Jun 02, 2005
Israeli and Western media outlets reported Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority had finally taken a serious step towards combating terrorism when it discovered and sealed off a terrorist-dug tunnel running under several Gaza Jewish communities.
But the residents of those threatened settlements said the reports simply were not true, and that the IDF had known about tunnel ?for some time now.?
Settler spokesmen said local IDF commanders had informed the PA police about the tunnel on numerous occasions, and had demanded appropriate action.
Their requests were regularly rebuffed, Katif.net reported, until on Tuesday morning when ?the IDF decided to flex its muscles and moved forces into the area where the tunnel is located.?
?In view of the IDF?s apparent determination to destroy the tunnel, the Palestinian Authority announced that it would block it up.?
Regarding the media's distortion of the facts, a statement from settler leaders posted on Katif.net read:
?We in Gush Katif can only express our astonishment at such perverted reporting.?