Housing Minister Effie Eitam (National Religious Party) weighed in against current government anti-terrorism policy. He told Arutz-7 this morning that it's true that Syria is a terrorism-supporting regime and must therefore be "taken care of - but the current timing and context are not at all understandable. To turn Hizbullah, at this point, into our enemy that has to be dealt with via Syria, right in the middle of prisoner-exchange negotiations... is completely puzzling. The American position is also not clear. President Bush says that we have the right to defend ourselves, while at the same time he prevents us from taking care of the snake's head right here in Ramallah."
"The attack in Syria," Eitam said, "is designed merely to impress the media and domestic public opinion, and to divert our attention from the real problem, which is Palestinian terrorism right here. The leaders of [the latter] are within striking distance right here at home, and we don't have to look for empty training camps in Syria..."
Trade Minister Ehud Olmert, defending the government decision, said that he is surprised at Effie Eitam's response, "implying that the attack in Syria is the only action that we're taking. On the day of the Haifa bombing, for instance, the security forces killed Sirhan Sirhan [the terrorist who murdered two children in their bedroom and three adults in Kibbutz Metzer last November], and have been operating in Jenin and elsewhere... The security services have also thwarted several attacks in the last few days and weeks..."
Dr. David Bukay of Haifa University's Political Science Department, speaking with Arutz-7 today, said that the attack on Syria "did nothing to Assad, and did not even impress Israeli public opinion. It was designed to show the Israeli public that it's fighting terrorism - [even though] it isn't." Bukay told Arutz-7 two months ago, "We have not yet understood that we must crush the Palestinian Authority... We unfortunately have one of the weakest governments in our history precisely now when we have to fight a war against terrorism."
"The attack in Syria," Eitam said, "is designed merely to impress the media and domestic public opinion, and to divert our attention from the real problem, which is Palestinian terrorism right here. The leaders of [the latter] are within striking distance right here at home, and we don't have to look for empty training camps in Syria..."
Trade Minister Ehud Olmert, defending the government decision, said that he is surprised at Effie Eitam's response, "implying that the attack in Syria is the only action that we're taking. On the day of the Haifa bombing, for instance, the security forces killed Sirhan Sirhan [the terrorist who murdered two children in their bedroom and three adults in Kibbutz Metzer last November], and have been operating in Jenin and elsewhere... The security services have also thwarted several attacks in the last few days and weeks..."
Dr. David Bukay of Haifa University's Political Science Department, speaking with Arutz-7 today, said that the attack on Syria "did nothing to Assad, and did not even impress Israeli public opinion. It was designed to show the Israeli public that it's fighting terrorism - [even though] it isn't." Bukay told Arutz-7 two months ago, "We have not yet understood that we must crush the Palestinian Authority... We unfortunately have one of the weakest governments in our history precisely now when we have to fight a war against terrorism."