Today\'s attack occurred opposite the Arab village of el-Hader, a frequent location for the launching of terrorist shooting attacks at Israeli vehicles. IDF sources said that the terrorists fled for refuge in adjacent PLO-controlled Bethlehem, the encirclement around which was removed only yesterday. Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said this morning that he blames only one man: \"Yasser Arafat. There is a limit to our patience.\"
Ben-Eliezer said later, however, that he would not reinstate the encirclements around all Arab towns. Following this mornings terrorist murder, the IDF closed off entrances to Bethlehem. Brig.-Gen. Benny Gantz, IDF Commander of Forces In Judea & Samaria, said today that the terrorists most likely took advantage of the recent lifting of the closure and escaped through a PA paramilitary police checkpoint into southern Bethlehem.
It has not yet been clarified if the assault rifles used in this morning\'s attack were amongst those given to the PLO by the Rabin/Peres government, in the framework of the Oslo Agreements. Annex 1, Article IV of the Interim Agreement says that machine guns, rifles and pistols will be given to the PLO police for \"combating terrorism and violence, and preventing incitement to violence.\" In many cases, PLO policemen have used these weapons to perpetrate attacks against Israelis, instead of preventing them.
Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze\'evi, a member of the government\'s security cabinet, commented on this morning\'s terrorist attack: \"This is a real lesson for the Sharon government. They thought that by easing up restrictions, perhaps also necessary for Sharon\'s visit to the U.S, understanding by the Arab side would follow. After 100 years of living side-by-side with the Arabs, we must know by know that concessions and confidence-building measures are not understood by them the way we would think. The Arabs understand them as a sign of weakness and fear. The Arabs don\'t realize that on our side there is a cabinet, a government, a press, and public leaders all who yearn for peace - and therefore there is a readiness to make concessions for peace. They don\'t think in those terms. Yet we keep repeating the same pattern. Each concession, each gesture, is viewed by them as a sign of Jewish weakness.\"
Ben-Eliezer said later, however, that he would not reinstate the encirclements around all Arab towns. Following this mornings terrorist murder, the IDF closed off entrances to Bethlehem. Brig.-Gen. Benny Gantz, IDF Commander of Forces In Judea & Samaria, said today that the terrorists most likely took advantage of the recent lifting of the closure and escaped through a PA paramilitary police checkpoint into southern Bethlehem.
It has not yet been clarified if the assault rifles used in this morning\'s attack were amongst those given to the PLO by the Rabin/Peres government, in the framework of the Oslo Agreements. Annex 1, Article IV of the Interim Agreement says that machine guns, rifles and pistols will be given to the PLO police for \"combating terrorism and violence, and preventing incitement to violence.\" In many cases, PLO policemen have used these weapons to perpetrate attacks against Israelis, instead of preventing them.
Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze\'evi, a member of the government\'s security cabinet, commented on this morning\'s terrorist attack: \"This is a real lesson for the Sharon government. They thought that by easing up restrictions, perhaps also necessary for Sharon\'s visit to the U.S, understanding by the Arab side would follow. After 100 years of living side-by-side with the Arabs, we must know by know that concessions and confidence-building measures are not understood by them the way we would think. The Arabs understand them as a sign of weakness and fear. The Arabs don\'t realize that on our side there is a cabinet, a government, a press, and public leaders all who yearn for peace - and therefore there is a readiness to make concessions for peace. They don\'t think in those terms. Yet we keep repeating the same pattern. Each concession, each gesture, is viewed by them as a sign of Jewish weakness.\"