Military Intelligence Chief Brig.Gen. Aharon Ze'evi warned the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Tuesday that the #2 man in the Palestinian Authority, prime minister Ahmed Qurei, “is acting just like Arafat and is trying to derail” every effort to bring calm to the region.
Ze'evi said that Qurei, while not involved in formulating security policy, is undermining PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts at reform. The two PA leaders - both veteran terrorists with a long list of operations behind them - are not on speaking terms, according to Ze'evi.
Ze'evi also had some critical words directly for Abbas. “He’s promoting a policy of preventing violence, but without doing enough to take apart the terrorists’ infrastructure,” he said, adding that Abbas “is hoping that the terrorist infrastructure will dissolve as he promotes a political process."
Gen. Ze'evi warned that while the various PA terror groups have less motivation to carry out acts of terror at present, they are working hard to restore the infrastructure that was severely damaged by four and a half years of war with Israel.
He pointed out that the terror groups have been bringing foreign experts into Judea and Samaria in order to develop the means to “break the balance of power” in those areas. Weapons smuggling into Gaza continues unabated.
Ze'evi grimly told the committee that the terror groups have attacks that are "ready to go, like a bullet in the barrel of a gun." They are just waiting, he explained, "for the right moment to shatter the calm." Their preparations include already-dug underground tunnels that are designed to explode when the timing is right.
Ze'evi said that Qurei, while not involved in formulating security policy, is undermining PA chief Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts at reform. The two PA leaders - both veteran terrorists with a long list of operations behind them - are not on speaking terms, according to Ze'evi.
Ze'evi also had some critical words directly for Abbas. “He’s promoting a policy of preventing violence, but without doing enough to take apart the terrorists’ infrastructure,” he said, adding that Abbas “is hoping that the terrorist infrastructure will dissolve as he promotes a political process."
Gen. Ze'evi warned that while the various PA terror groups have less motivation to carry out acts of terror at present, they are working hard to restore the infrastructure that was severely damaged by four and a half years of war with Israel.
He pointed out that the terror groups have been bringing foreign experts into Judea and Samaria in order to develop the means to “break the balance of power” in those areas. Weapons smuggling into Gaza continues unabated.
Ze'evi grimly told the committee that the terror groups have attacks that are "ready to go, like a bullet in the barrel of a gun." They are just waiting, he explained, "for the right moment to shatter the calm." Their preparations include already-dug underground tunnels that are designed to explode when the timing is right.