Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, August 27, 2000 / Av 26, 5760
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. THREE SOLDIERS KILLED IN BOTCHED MISSION
2. WHAT WENT WRONG?
3. ABU HUNUD C.V.
4. MAJORITY OF MKS SIGN ON BARAK-BLOCKING BILL
5. IN SEARCH OF A NATIONALIST CONSENSUS
6. AIR FORCE TO FORFEIT CRUCIAL EARLY WARNING STATION
7. PM: ARAFAT HOLDS KEY TO FUTURE
8. A CHANGE OF PACE
9. PRESIDENT TO COURT
1. THREE SOLDIERS KILLED IN BOTCHED MISSION
Efforts to capture one of the most-wanted Palestinian terrorists
failed last night, when three members of an elite IDF unit were
fired on and killed, apparently by the terrorist himself. In an
attempt to soften the blow of the botched mission, Deputy Defense
Minister Ephraim Sneh said that several weeks ago, the army did
confiscate tons of explosives in a laboratory overseen by the
terrorist.
The incident began at 9:45 Saturday night, when IDF troops
arrived in Kfar Atzira, north of the Shomron town of Shechem;
the mission was to apprehend arch-terrorist Mahmoud Abu-Hunud,
who was hiding in one of the houses there. For reasons not yet
clear, Abu-Hunud was able to spot the unit, and shot at the
soldiers from the rooftop of his house, killing three of them.
Other IDF soldiers returned fire, lightly injuring Abu-Hunud, who
then fled. "After a difficult chase through orchards and
terraced farms near the village, Abu-Hunud reached an Arab-run
hospital in Shechem, and soon turned himself into the Palestinian
Authority paramilitary police," reports Arutz-7 correspondent
Haggai Huberman. "It was during the pursuit through those
orchards that a fourth soldier was injured, it seems, from
'friendly IDF fire.'" Surgeons at the Sheba-Tel Hashomer
Hospital operated on the soldier and he is now fully conscious,
and "feeling fine." IDF forces inspected the house and its
environs throughout the night and into the morning, after which
it was razed. In the process, they apprehended another
Palestinian, named Nidal, who had been in the house with
Abu-Hunud.
The dead soldiers are: Twenty-one year-old Staff Seargents Ro'i
Even Fielsteiner of Hod Hasharon; Liron Sharvit, 20 of Moshav
Beit Hashmonai; and Nir Yaacobi of Tel Aviv. Liron Sharvit was
buried at 4:45 PM this afternoon in the Ramla military cemetery,
while Nir Yaacobi will be interred in the Kiryat Shaul cemetery
at 6:45 PM.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak issued a statement this morning,
offering his sympathies for the deaths, and expressing
understanding for "the deep mourning of the families who lost
their sons in the incident." He said that "despite the high
price, Israel will continue to fight terrorism with all its
strength. The terrorists and those who dispatch them will not
escape. The IDF and the security forces will continue to stand
guard and defend the State of Israel and its citizens."
2. WHAT WENT WRONG?
By mid-morning, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz had
convened a press conference to discuss the background of the
unsuccessful mission. He told reporters that he has appointed a
special commission of inquiry to identify the causes of the
debacle. During his review of the incident, Mofaz indicated that
"very grave" errors by one of the support units led to the
tragedy. Despite the initial IDF reports that the terrorist had
shot the soldiers, Lt.-Gen. Mofaz did not rule out the
possibility that the soldiers were killed by "friendly fire."
IDF sources dismissed early rumors that PA paramilitary police
had leaked information about the mission to Abu Hunud.
Arutz-7's Huberman explained that, as a matter of routine, the
IDF establishes contact with the PA forces in a given village
shortly before launching such a mission: "The reason for this is
simple: the area is categorized as 'Area B-plus' - joint Israeli
and PA control, with the addition of a PA police station. If we
were not to warn them that we are entering, we risk being shot at
by the PA forces," Huberman said. "The army spokesman felt it
was unlikely that the PA gave Abu Hunud advanced warning of the
mission. Israeli security officials believe that the PA has an
interest in fighting terror at present, to ensure international
support for the declaration of a Palestinian state. Secondly,
such missions are accompanied by a careful monitoring of local
telephones and cellular phones by the IDF; the army did not
pinpoint any calls to Abu Hunud's house. They also said that
coordination with the PA began 'only at the last second,' and
that it 'is hard to believe that information was conveyed to Abu
Hunud so quickly.'"
Correspondent Huberman then turned to what army sources suggest
was a more likely cause: "Some have noted that the hour - around
10 PM - was a miscalculation. At that time, villagers are still
up. This town is a hotbed of Hamas activity. It was widely
known that Abu Hunud was hiding out there, and that he was being
sought by Israel. So it is possible that villagers had identified
the forces and someone ran to inform him. If the operation had
taken place in the early hours of the morning, fewer people would
have been aware of the presence of our forces."
Arutz-7 correspondent Yehuda Goldberg responded to the above
analysis by asking, "If the villagers could tip off Abu Hunud so
quickly, why couldn't the PA paramilitary police?"
3. ABU HUNUD C.V.
Mahmoud Abu Hunud is responsible for the deaths of at least 21
Israelis over the past five years. Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler
reviewed Israel's file on the terrorist: "Abu Hunud's worst
atrocities were the Machane Yehuda and Ben-Yehuda street suicide
bombings in the summer of 1997, attacks that killed 19 people. Of
the six suicide bombers dispatched to carry out those attacks,
four were from his village of Kfar Atzira. He began organizing
'local militias' about ten years ago, but intensified his
activity when he took the helm of a unit of the Hamas
Izadin-el-Kassam terrorist cell. He was first cited in
connection with the shooting of a Jewish doctor in the vicinity
of the community of Elon Moreh in 1995, and he helped plan the
1996 murder of high-school student David Boim on the outskirts of
Beit El."
Rabbi Uzi Navo, of the Yesha community of Kochav Ya'akov, was the
first victim of Abu Hunud's violence. Speaking with Arutz-7
today, Navo described how, while driving down a main road one
day, an Arab car pulled up next to him, "and then, at point blank
range - they fired three bullets at me!" Originally listed in
very serious condition with injuries to the mouth, jaw and neck,
Rabbi Navo says that he has now almost fully recovered, and has
returned to a relatively normal life.
In the course of today's press conference, Chief of Staff Mofaz
said that the fact that Abu Hunud is now in PA custody "is a real
blow to Hamas, and it will make their efforts at planning
terrorist attacks more difficult to implement." Not everyone
agreed with this assessment, however. Likud MK Gideon Ezra noted
that Abu Hunud had "escaped" from PA custody on a previous
occasion, "as part of the PA's revolving door policy."
Correspondent Haggai Huberman said: "Today - and I repeat: today-
he is detached from the Hamas terrorist network. But it is
noteworthy that Muhammed Def, also a Hamas arch-terrorist, met
with Hamas officials in the PA's Gaza offices last week, and is
reported to be in good health and good spirits. We can safely
assume that Abu Hunud will not be subjected to any worse
treatment in Shechem than Def receives in Gaza. If and when the
PA wishes, it can choose once again to activate its 'revolving
door.'
Prime Minister Barak said this afternoon that Israel will, in the
future, demand that Abu Hunud be turned over to Israeli
authorities. In August, 1997, Palestine National Council member
Hanan Ashrawi told a Voice of Palestine interviewer: "No
Palestinian will ever be extradited to Israel. A decision has
been made to this effect, and it is inconceivable to think that
such a thing would ever happen." For the Prime Minister to
pretend otherwise, National Religious Party leader Rabbi Yitzchak
Levy said today, is an "embarrassment and a national disgrace."
4. MAJORITY OF MKS SIGN ON BARAK-BLOCKING BILL
Sixty-two Knesset members are sponsoring a new bill aimed at
preventing Prime Minister Ehud Barak from signing diplomatic
agreements as long as he does not have a Knesset majority. The
bill was initiated by National Union MK Rabbi Benny Elon.
Should the bill pass - as it is expected to - a minority
government would be unable to legally sign deals that entail the
transfer of sovereignty to a foreign entity or the alteration of
the country's borders. Arutz-7 Knesset correspondent Haggai Seri
reports that the 62nd name on the list is that of MK Chaim Katz
(Am Echad) - whom Ehud Barak has been courting, of late, to join
his coalition.
"This is not just another bill," reports Seri. "It is an
amendment to the (quasi-constitutional) Basic Law: Government.
This means that what has been dubbed a 'law to block Barak,' will
be even more far-reaching, and would bind any future minority
government." Speaking with Arutz-7 today, MK Elon said: "It's
true that we have not yet obtained the 61 MKs required for
toppling the government; that's one matter. But Mr. Barak cannot
operate as if he heads a majority government ... All of the legal
experts I have spoken to about this amendment, including the
bill's author, Prof. Eliav Shochatman, feel that such a move
would have great constitutional significance. We hope to pass
it. It is important to both the Land of Israel and to the
democracy of the State of Israel."
Correspondent Seri notes that despite the 62 signatures,
opposition Knesset members are not prematurely celebrating.
Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg (Labor) refused to conduct a special
mid-recess preliminary vote on the bill, but did agree to an
initial debate on the matter during the recess. As a result of
Burg's decision, opposition forces will be hard-pressed to
pre-empt any Barak-Arafat summit this fall.
5. IN SEARCH OF A NATIONALIST CONSENSUS
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union) is trying to get all of the
national camp's parties to select and support one candidate for
Prime Minister. To this end, Hendel hopes to arrive at a formula
for "open leadership primaries" in which voters from all of the
national camp parties will participate. Meanwhile, Zo Artzeinu
leader Moshe Feiglin is preparing to field his candidacy as the
Likud party nominee for Prime Minister. A gathering of
pro-Feiglin activists is slated for this Thursday evening at the
Jerusalem Convention Center.
6. AIR FORCE TO FORFEIT CRUCIAL EARLY WARNING STATION
Israel plans to evacuate the Israel Air Force early-warning
station at Ba'al Hatzor within a year. IAF commander Brig.-Gen.
Dan Halutz conveyed the information several days ago to officers
stationed there. Arutz-7's Uzi Baruch reports that the plan is
to transfer the base to the PA by the end of the year 2001. A
contingent of IDF personnel will remain there, but will function
in an administrative capacity only; an IDF liaison officer will
also visit the site at regular intervals. Ba'al Hatzor is
considered one of the Air Force's most vital bases, located on
the highest mountain in the Judea and Samaria region. The site
reportedly provides troops with a view well beyond the borders of
the state.
7. PM: ARAFAT HOLDS KEY TO FUTURE
Prime Minister Barak says that "the ball is in Yasser Arafat's
court." Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting, Barak explained
that it is Arafat who must now decide whether or not he wishes a
deal. "If not," Barak warned, "he (Arafat) will be responsible
for the situation that results." Barak added that although
contacts are being conducted at various levels, "we will only
know in which direction the process is headed when Arafat comes
to a decision in the weeks ahead." Barak also boasted of
Israel's success in elucidating its diplomatic position on the
relevant issues to the international community.
8. A CHANGE OF PACE
Rock throwing continued today at the northern border, but this
time, it was headed in the opposite direction. In protest of the
daily violence of Lebanese villagers towards soldiers and
northern residents since the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon in May,
several residents of Netanya parked their vehicle at Fatma Gate
today, and began hurling rocks over the fence into Lebanon. IDF
forces quickly dispersed the demonstrators.
9. PRESIDENT TO COURT
President Moshe Katzav visited the Supreme Court today, and was
greeted there by Chief Justice Aharon Barak. After a tour of the
Court building, Katzav met with several top Supreme Court
justices. In response to a reporter's question, President Katzav
rejected recent criticisms of the court by the Shas party, adding
that he has "faith in the Court."
Hebrew News Editor: Ariel Kahane
English News Editor: Ron-Ami Meir
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Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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