Army intelligence chief, Gen. Zeev Farkash said at today’s government meeting that the U.S. led attack against Iraq will begin next week.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said at today’s meeting that “We are at the end of the last stage of the diplomatic phase and a few days away from a decision by the U.N. Security Council. The time of war is approaching, and its reasonable that it will begin within a brief period.”
Mofaz said that at this stage, the public is not required to take any special measures, except for making preparations according to the instructions published in the pamphlet distributed to the public by the Home Command.
Regarding the appointment of Mahmud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) to Arafat’s ‘prime minister’ in the PA, both Defense Minister Mofaz and Communications Minister Yosef Paritzky cited the move as “positive”. Sharon responded that the trend was positive but noted that “everything is dependent on the question of which authorities Abu Mazen will receive from chairman Arafat in addition to the appointment itself.”
Gen. Farkash and Defense Minister Mofaz had varying interpretations of public opinion in the PA. Mofaz said a new opinion poll in the PA shows that 96% of the Arabs there support a cease far in the pre-1967 borders of Israel. 75% want the PA Legislative Council to appoint a prime minister and not Arafat.
In contrast, Gen. Farkash said that public opinion in the PA is moving toward Jihad and intensifying the war against Israel and not towards a peace agreement.
Mofaz said that Haifa’s suicide bombing as well as the attack on the Horowitz home in Kiryat Araba last Friday night were carried out by the Hamas. He said that the killing of senior Hamas leader Ibrahim Makdame in Gaza on Friday morning “was a severe blow for the Hamas.”
Mofaz added that two other planned attacks were thwarted over the past few days, one in the town of Hamra in the Jordan valley and the other at the Netzarim intersection in central Gaza. He said that in the past seven months Israel has arrested about 2000 Arab terrorist suspects.
Responding to questions relating to the pace of erecting the security fence on the pre-1967 border, Sharon emphasized that the fence is not a political but a security fence, and is only one of a number of protective measures to be taken against terrorist attacks.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said at today’s meeting that “We are at the end of the last stage of the diplomatic phase and a few days away from a decision by the U.N. Security Council. The time of war is approaching, and its reasonable that it will begin within a brief period.”
Mofaz said that at this stage, the public is not required to take any special measures, except for making preparations according to the instructions published in the pamphlet distributed to the public by the Home Command.
Regarding the appointment of Mahmud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen) to Arafat’s ‘prime minister’ in the PA, both Defense Minister Mofaz and Communications Minister Yosef Paritzky cited the move as “positive”. Sharon responded that the trend was positive but noted that “everything is dependent on the question of which authorities Abu Mazen will receive from chairman Arafat in addition to the appointment itself.”
Gen. Farkash and Defense Minister Mofaz had varying interpretations of public opinion in the PA. Mofaz said a new opinion poll in the PA shows that 96% of the Arabs there support a cease far in the pre-1967 borders of Israel. 75% want the PA Legislative Council to appoint a prime minister and not Arafat.
In contrast, Gen. Farkash said that public opinion in the PA is moving toward Jihad and intensifying the war against Israel and not towards a peace agreement.
Mofaz said that Haifa’s suicide bombing as well as the attack on the Horowitz home in Kiryat Araba last Friday night were carried out by the Hamas. He said that the killing of senior Hamas leader Ibrahim Makdame in Gaza on Friday morning “was a severe blow for the Hamas.”
Mofaz added that two other planned attacks were thwarted over the past few days, one in the town of Hamra in the Jordan valley and the other at the Netzarim intersection in central Gaza. He said that in the past seven months Israel has arrested about 2000 Arab terrorist suspects.
Responding to questions relating to the pace of erecting the security fence on the pre-1967 border, Sharon emphasized that the fence is not a political but a security fence, and is only one of a number of protective measures to be taken against terrorist attacks.