The Arab terrorist cell, which was spotted yesterday afternoon on its way to attack Israelis in Kadim and Ganim (east of Hadera) was set free without injury. After Israeli soldiers chased down the terrorists to a house and surrounded it for hours, Jenin region IDF Brigade Commander Effie Cohen gave the order to retreat from the house, and the terrorist cell left unharmed. The IDF commander said he reached an agreement with the PLO that they would arrest the would-be murderers.
This morning, Cohen told Israel radio: \"The Palestinian commander promised me that he would operate in his area [to combat terror]. As of now, they haven\'t arrested anyone. I expect him to live up to his commitment to apprehend the terrorists. The Palestinian Authority, in general, and its Brigadier, in particular, must operate as they obligated themselves. I would like to believe that he will keep his part of the agreement, as I have kept mine.\"
Retired IDF Colonel Moshe Leshem commented on the sequence of events: “If this had not been a true story, I would think that this was a joke. This commander should not serve as a commander even one more day, because his act is one of stupidity and incompetence... After Israel is almost one and half years at war with the Arabs -- after we reached the conclusion a long time ago that from Yasser Arafat down to his last officers, they are simply murdering us and cheating us day by day -- and an Israeli officer is acting in such a foolish and unbelievable way. I would recommend to the chief of staff to tell Effie Cohen goodbye and that the army is not for you… In the words of British brigadier B.H. Liddell Hart, who authored a book on modern warfare, \"never in history has a nation won a war by pitying its enemies and trying not to hit its foes too hard.”
Upon hearing of the IDF retreat from the surrounded house, spokesperson for the Ganim township, Deena Achdari, expressed sharp criticism of the decision to rely on the Arabs to capture the terrorists. She told Arutz Sheva, \"Our security and the security of our children are in the hands of the Palestinians.\"
This morning, Cohen told Israel radio: \"The Palestinian commander promised me that he would operate in his area [to combat terror]. As of now, they haven\'t arrested anyone. I expect him to live up to his commitment to apprehend the terrorists. The Palestinian Authority, in general, and its Brigadier, in particular, must operate as they obligated themselves. I would like to believe that he will keep his part of the agreement, as I have kept mine.\"
Retired IDF Colonel Moshe Leshem commented on the sequence of events: “If this had not been a true story, I would think that this was a joke. This commander should not serve as a commander even one more day, because his act is one of stupidity and incompetence... After Israel is almost one and half years at war with the Arabs -- after we reached the conclusion a long time ago that from Yasser Arafat down to his last officers, they are simply murdering us and cheating us day by day -- and an Israeli officer is acting in such a foolish and unbelievable way. I would recommend to the chief of staff to tell Effie Cohen goodbye and that the army is not for you… In the words of British brigadier B.H. Liddell Hart, who authored a book on modern warfare, \"never in history has a nation won a war by pitying its enemies and trying not to hit its foes too hard.”
Upon hearing of the IDF retreat from the surrounded house, spokesperson for the Ganim township, Deena Achdari, expressed sharp criticism of the decision to rely on the Arabs to capture the terrorists. She told Arutz Sheva, \"Our security and the security of our children are in the hands of the Palestinians.\"