At a meeting in Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz’s office just prior to the Purim holiday two weeks ago, the heads of the security establishment were asked their opinions about whether to order the closure of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
Not long ago, that issue would not have been the subject of intense debate. Both of the two main bodies responsible for security in the State of Israel - the Shin Bet (Shabak - General Security Service) and the Israel Defense Forces - agreed that such a move was necessary to protect against terrorist elements and maintain internal security. The measure prevents PA Arabs from leaving Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, with the exception of certain emergency situations.
However, this time it became the Shabak vs. the IDF. Outgoing GSS head Avi Dichter and his newly-appointed replacement, Yuval Diskin, both expressed support for the closure. A senior Shabak official explained that Israel could not afford to take security risks “when there are over 40 alerts of impending attacks over the Purim holiday.” Terrorist groups have often targeted Purim for attacks against Jews.
But IDF officials took the opposite approach, citing the overall drop in the number of alerts as a reason not to close off the areas. “You can’t impose a closure every Tuesday and Thursday," a senior IDF official quoted General Staff headquarters as saying, "and then complain that the Palestinian population continues to be poor.”
Taking the GSS chief head on, the IDF officer challenged the agency to change its approach to the Arabs of Yesha, saying that the IDF recognizes that “a new era has been begun in Palestinian-Israeli relations." The officer cited the position of the government coordinator in Yesha, Brig.-Gen. Yosef Mishlav.
Mofaz decided to err on the side of caution and approved imposing a closure over Purim. He has yet to decide, however, regarding the upcoming Passover holiday. The IDF’s last major military operation, known as Operation Defensive Shield, was initiated after terrorists struck the Park Hotel in Netanya on the first night of Passover in 2002.
Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler reports that each side is maintaining its position as Passover approaches. GSS officials say, "We are proving all the time that we need to continue using roadblocks as a means of effectuating arrests.”
Just last Tuesday, a major arrest was made of a Hamas terrorist who was trying to travel from the Bethlehem area to the Ramallah area, where he was planning to commit a shooting attack against local Jewish residents.
But the IDF remains unconvinced. “If we start closing the territories [Judea, Samaria, and Gaza] every Purim and again at Passover," a senior IDF official told Finkler, "everything will be delayed, the lives of [the Palestinians] won’t return to normal and we’ll lose the chance [for peace] because we didn’t take the risk."
Not long ago, that issue would not have been the subject of intense debate. Both of the two main bodies responsible for security in the State of Israel - the Shin Bet (Shabak - General Security Service) and the Israel Defense Forces - agreed that such a move was necessary to protect against terrorist elements and maintain internal security. The measure prevents PA Arabs from leaving Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, with the exception of certain emergency situations.
However, this time it became the Shabak vs. the IDF. Outgoing GSS head Avi Dichter and his newly-appointed replacement, Yuval Diskin, both expressed support for the closure. A senior Shabak official explained that Israel could not afford to take security risks “when there are over 40 alerts of impending attacks over the Purim holiday.” Terrorist groups have often targeted Purim for attacks against Jews.
But IDF officials took the opposite approach, citing the overall drop in the number of alerts as a reason not to close off the areas. “You can’t impose a closure every Tuesday and Thursday," a senior IDF official quoted General Staff headquarters as saying, "and then complain that the Palestinian population continues to be poor.”
Taking the GSS chief head on, the IDF officer challenged the agency to change its approach to the Arabs of Yesha, saying that the IDF recognizes that “a new era has been begun in Palestinian-Israeli relations." The officer cited the position of the government coordinator in Yesha, Brig.-Gen. Yosef Mishlav.
Mofaz decided to err on the side of caution and approved imposing a closure over Purim. He has yet to decide, however, regarding the upcoming Passover holiday. The IDF’s last major military operation, known as Operation Defensive Shield, was initiated after terrorists struck the Park Hotel in Netanya on the first night of Passover in 2002.
Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler reports that each side is maintaining its position as Passover approaches. GSS officials say, "We are proving all the time that we need to continue using roadblocks as a means of effectuating arrests.”
Just last Tuesday, a major arrest was made of a Hamas terrorist who was trying to travel from the Bethlehem area to the Ramallah area, where he was planning to commit a shooting attack against local Jewish residents.
But the IDF remains unconvinced. “If we start closing the territories [Judea, Samaria, and Gaza] every Purim and again at Passover," a senior IDF official told Finkler, "everything will be delayed, the lives of [the Palestinians] won’t return to normal and we’ll lose the chance [for peace] because we didn’t take the risk."