By Jerusalem Newswire Editorial Staff
Aug 16, 2005
Israel's Military Intelligence chief, Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash, warned Tuesday that the Palestinian Arabs were preparing to unleash a fresh wave of terrorism on Israelis following Palestinian Authority elections scheduled for late January.
Farkash told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that ?Palestinian? terror groups were currently transferring manpower, arms and technical know-how to Judea and Samaria, expecting to repeat their perceived victory in Gaza.
?We see the West Bank build-up as a ticking time-bomb,? he stated.
Farkash said he believed groups such as Hamas would more or less hold to the current terrorist ceasefire until after the elections, but expressed concern smaller terror gangs looking to make a name for themselves could attack sooner.
If that happened, Hamas would hardly be able to resist joining in the slaughter, the general said.
Farkash indicated the ?Palestinians? would use the threat of increased aggression as leverage to force Israel back into negotiations, where additional concessions could be extracted diplomatically.
To that end, he reported the Palestinian Authority was still refusing to take even the slightest step towards fulfilling its decade-old peace obligation to disarm and dismantle the terrorist infrastructure.
?The Palestinian Authority is making efforts to maintain quiet in [Gaza] after the evacuation, but is unwilling to dismantle terror groups... Even when they are provided with information about a specific person, they refuse to detain him.?
In related news, Colonel Yoav Mordechai, head of the IDF's Gaza District Coordination Office, told reporters Tuesday there was a fear misinformation by the PA-controlled media could lead to widespread violence in Gaza in the coming days.
He said the ?Palestinian? street was apparently not aware that Israel does not intend to fully surrender currently Jewish-controlled areas until October, as it will take weeks to withdraw military assets located there.
?This lack of understanding is due to inaccurate reporting and premature Palestinian celebrations,? Mordechai said.
The IDF intends to ?maintain a strong presence and will not allow anyone inside evacuated communities until the military evacuation has been completed.?
Mordechai said the IDF was prepared to use crushing force if the ?Palestinians? failed to control themselves.