Prime Minister Ariel Sharon convened the security cabinet in his office this morning to discuss the worsening security situation. Earlier today, Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz - who cut short his European vacation last night - met with top IDF and GSS officials for the same purpose. However, Israel is not planning a major offensive against the Palestinian terrorist infrastructures in light of the PA's failure to take action, according to top political and security sources.
Prime Minister Sharon, addressing thousands of Birthright participants in Jerusalem last night, said that there would be no progress on the diplomatic front as long as the terror continues and the PA takes no action against it. He placed the blame on Abu Mazen, "who is not fulfilling his obligation to fight terrorism."
Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) said that such declarations are not enough:
"Yesterday's grave attacks definitely make clear that which we have known for weeks, namely, that the Palestinians are not keeping their agreement, are not fulfilling their obligations to disarm the terrorists, and are not even showing signs of doing so. They only want to receive Israel's concessions without giving anything in return. I therefore think that the attacks obligate us to make decisions. Sharon's statement that we will not proceed with the diplomatic process is certainly correct - but it's not enough for us merely to stop making concessions while they allow terrorism to continue. We have to [actively] defend our citizens. Since they [the PA] are not doing what they have to, we must fight the terrorists instead of them - and I hope that that decision to prepare for military action will be made as soon as today. Exactly how and when is of less concern to me; I trust the army and the Defense Minister to know how to do it..."
Col. (res.) Moshe Hager, who heads a pre-military yeshiva academy in the Shomron, takes a grave view of the situation:
"The current quiet is a false one. It's just like a child who is quiet because the parents left him alone - and it turns out that he was doing damage... Terrorism thrives when it is not totally repressed. Our people have great endurance power, as was proven in the past three years. What has to be done is to smash the terrorists, its leaders, and its symbols, and the PA will finally get the message... "Fundamentalist Islam is a threat to the entire world; Israel happens to be at the center of this struggle, and we must lead it. We must undertake elementary steps such as expelling terrorists and their families, and the world will understand. I have no doubt that there can be quiet here when the terrorists suffer their first real blow... Terrorism must be defeated, and not toyed with."
Prime Minister Sharon, addressing thousands of Birthright participants in Jerusalem last night, said that there would be no progress on the diplomatic front as long as the terror continues and the PA takes no action against it. He placed the blame on Abu Mazen, "who is not fulfilling his obligation to fight terrorism."
Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) said that such declarations are not enough:
"Yesterday's grave attacks definitely make clear that which we have known for weeks, namely, that the Palestinians are not keeping their agreement, are not fulfilling their obligations to disarm the terrorists, and are not even showing signs of doing so. They only want to receive Israel's concessions without giving anything in return. I therefore think that the attacks obligate us to make decisions. Sharon's statement that we will not proceed with the diplomatic process is certainly correct - but it's not enough for us merely to stop making concessions while they allow terrorism to continue. We have to [actively] defend our citizens. Since they [the PA] are not doing what they have to, we must fight the terrorists instead of them - and I hope that that decision to prepare for military action will be made as soon as today. Exactly how and when is of less concern to me; I trust the army and the Defense Minister to know how to do it..."
Col. (res.) Moshe Hager, who heads a pre-military yeshiva academy in the Shomron, takes a grave view of the situation:
"The current quiet is a false one. It's just like a child who is quiet because the parents left him alone - and it turns out that he was doing damage... Terrorism thrives when it is not totally repressed. Our people have great endurance power, as was proven in the past three years. What has to be done is to smash the terrorists, its leaders, and its symbols, and the PA will finally get the message... "Fundamentalist Islam is a threat to the entire world; Israel happens to be at the center of this struggle, and we must lead it. We must undertake elementary steps such as expelling terrorists and their families, and the world will understand. I have no doubt that there can be quiet here when the terrorists suffer their first real blow... Terrorism must be defeated, and not toyed with."