Israel has been placed in extreme jeopardy by its obedience to the demands that she exercise restraint in dealing with terrorists.
The siege of Arafat?s compound in Ramallah, called the ?Mukata?, was not merely lashing out in response to more murderous terror attacks by Arafat?s multiple terror organizations. Nor was it an effort to capture and bring to trial several dozen terrorist leaders for past murderous deeds.
What underlay this siege was a major push to question Arafat?s main lieutenants about their knowledge of and cooperation with sleeper radical Islamic agents who are located inside of Israel. The fear is that these agents have already received biological and chemical weapons from Hezb?Allah (sponsored by Iran and based in Syria and Lebanon), Hamas and Al Qaeda - who could be in any Middle Eastern country, including Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia - and even Israel.
They could be hiding in Israel under Arafat?s protection and no one in the West would have thought to investigate and root them out. American and European Intelligence already know about the possibility of ?sleeper? agents in Israel, just as American Attorney General John Ashcroft is pursuing ?sleeper? terror agents in America.
President Bush does have a military agenda in launching an attack against Saddam Hussein?s regime in Iraq. There are reasons that Israel has been asked to "back off" so as not to ?incite? the Arab world. President Bush is correctly calling for unlimited inspection in Iraq, knowing that Saddam has hidden catastrophic WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction) in his laboratories and manufacturing facilities. That policy runs parallel to Israel?s desperate need to obtain similar intelligence by questioning key terrorist planners.
The U.N. and Congressional Democrats demand public evidence of Saddam?s capability and intentions to use his WMD. This is called demanding concrete evidence of a "smoking gun". But, as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said, "When you see smoke coming out of the gun, the bullet has already been fired."
Again, as Bush cannot reveal all of America?s intelligence on Saddam, neither can Israel?s Prime Minister Ariel (Arik) Sharon tell the media about what Israel knows regarding Arafat?s capabilities and intentions, although Israel?s Secret Services have revealed that there are dozens of planned terror attacks known to them, most of which have been successfully thwarted. It is the aftermath of those that are not stopped that we see on television, and which are Israel?s visible "smoking guns". We need no more evidence.
Sharon knows that he cannot reveal his intelligence sources to the U.N. because once known, Arafat or his other terrorist allies would assassinate them.
We know full well that various terrorist cells are planted inside of Israel, using local Israeli Arabs as cover. Most have links to rogue nations such as Iran, Iraq and Syria, which sponsor terror. Many owe their loyalties to Arafat, Al Qaeda, Hezb?Allah and the rest of the hydra-headed International Terror Monster Organizations.
There is a deep and realistic concern that the "sleeper cells" inside Israel will coordinate their attacks with the mix of terrorists now dug in on the Lebanese border with Israel. It is therefore imperative that Israel captures and interrogates the terrorist planners/coordinators and bomb makers who were in Arafat?s compound. It is not only imperative but is a matter of life or death.
The survival of a nation outweighs the agenda of another nation. Israel cannot wait to be hit from inside (or outside) with NBC (Nuclear, Biological or Chemical) weapons of mass destruction. Israel cannot wait for the world to recognize that those with this vital information may have been hiding under the protection of Yassir Arafat in his compound called the ?Mukata?. Time is of the essence!
Now that the Sharon government has been pressured into lifting this siege and Arafat?s collaborators found it easier to escape, who knows what crucial information we may have lost that negatively impacts not only Israel but also the West. Isn?t it time that the West demanded full accountability from Arafat and others who harbor terrorist cells? If we don?t stop them in Israel now, for sure they will "export" themselves to the free Western countries that so openly accept them - like America.
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Emanuel A. Winston is a Middle East analyst & commentator.
GWinston@Interaccess.com