Fatah\'s claim of responsibility for the terrorist carnage in Hadera also mentioned that the attack was in retaliation for Israel\'s alleged liquidation of terrorist leader Raid Karmi earlier this week. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer totally rejected this claim, however, saying that there had been many intelligence warnings of impending terrorism well before Karmi was killed. Israel\'s leading daily Yediot Acharonot is not convinced, however. In an editorial yesterday, it wrote, “The bloody events of recent days... raise the question of whether the targeted elimination - which came during a period of relative calm - justified the risk of the return of serious terrorism.”
Its competitor Ma\'ariv put the lie to Yediot\'s claim: “While everyone agrees that the elimination was justified, the left-wing opposition believes that this was an ‘idiotic elimination’ that was ‘poorly timed.’ These claims would be much more convincing if it wasn’t for the facts that these critics believe that no IDF response is appropriate, and that there is no ‘right timing’ for any operation whatsoever, and that Arafat, in his famous cease-fire speech, emphasized the temporary nature of the cessation of violence.” The paper also noted “the logistical preparations being made by the Palestinian Authority so that it can enter the next round better armed and even more dangerous.”
Many other officials also noted that the calm of recent weeks was nothing more than misleading, and that Palestinian Authority preparations to resume the terrorism were ongoing throughout this period. The intelligence warnings continue, and many police checkpoints have been established throughout the north and the Sharon region.
Its competitor Ma\'ariv put the lie to Yediot\'s claim: “While everyone agrees that the elimination was justified, the left-wing opposition believes that this was an ‘idiotic elimination’ that was ‘poorly timed.’ These claims would be much more convincing if it wasn’t for the facts that these critics believe that no IDF response is appropriate, and that there is no ‘right timing’ for any operation whatsoever, and that Arafat, in his famous cease-fire speech, emphasized the temporary nature of the cessation of violence.” The paper also noted “the logistical preparations being made by the Palestinian Authority so that it can enter the next round better armed and even more dangerous.”
Many other officials also noted that the calm of recent weeks was nothing more than misleading, and that Palestinian Authority preparations to resume the terrorism were ongoing throughout this period. The intelligence warnings continue, and many police checkpoints have been established throughout the north and the Sharon region.