"The Jewish communities in Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) now face a new and dangerous threat, one that must be dealt with forthrightly and in a fundamental manner." So said Yesha Council Secretary-General Adi Mintz to IDF Chief of Staff Sha'ul Mofaz yesterday, in light of the recent fatal attacks against Yesha towns. His remarks recalled a paper published last August by the Ariel Center for Policy Research entitled Report on the Acquiescence of the Israeli Government to Palestinian Authority First Strike Preparations in Yesha. Written by Mordechai Sones and first issued in March 1999, the paper notes, "Indicators of first-strike capabilities by the PA include 122 confirmed or suspected armored vehicles in PA hands, rehearsals for night attacks near yishuvim (Jewish communities), and gathering of specialized intelligence by Arab laborers on the yishuvim."
Noting that the present IDF deployment in Yesha is notably lacking in qualitative and quantitative manpower, as well as many more strategic components such as patrols, fences, towers, and the like, Mintz told Arutz-7 this morning, "We have to realize that the threat we face today is different, and requires a different approach."
Regarding the construction of a partition between Arab-populated areas in Yesha and the rest of Israel, the Yesha Council decided yesterday to agree to it only if it has no diplomatic ramifications. "Our first decision yesterday," Mintz said, "was to call upon the government to adopt the approach of the heads of the IDF General Staff and the GSS to re-take control of Area A [PLO-controlled areas]. But as far as the proposed partition is concerned, we are totally against it, because it will have political ramifications. We agreed, however, that if it is deemed necessary for the protection of Hadera, Afula, and other areas to have security barriers and obstacles, then these must be built - we cannot morally object to such a thing - but we demanded that they not be built along the Green Line, but rather built only with security considerations... We have seen that it is in fact the Defense Minister's intention to do so along the Green Line, and we plan to object sharply to this."