HOW MANY MUST DIE BEFORE SHARON STRIKES? Sidney Zion NY Post June 4, 2001 -- 'NOW is the time to strike. In a day or two it will be too late, the world will quickly forget the 19 Israeli children murdered by Yasser Arafat - they will only remember his phony promise to stop the violence." This is Peter Malkin talking, and when he talks I pay attention - and so should Israel and the White House. Malkin was the Mossad operations chief for 15 years. He received Israel's medal of honor from two prime ministers. He also captured Adolf Eichmann. I caught him in New York yesterday, and asked him exactly what Israel could do to end the intifada that blew up all those kids in a Tel Aviv disco on Friday night. "The army, first of all, must go into Gaza and take the heavy arms that Arafat has been smuggling in for eight years. This can be done in two or three days. If we don't do it, Arafat will be able to turn on the terror whenever he pleases - even if he stops it for a while now. "Guaranteed, there is more than we now know. In intelligence, what you know is a small part of the truth. We found this out in Lebanon, 20 years ago, when Arafat was running his PLO mini- state. Enormous weapons were found, far more than we thought." Two or three days? The Israeli defense minister said the same a few months ago, but didn't say how it could be done. "The tanks cut Gaza in three places and you go and take it away, that simple," says Malkin. But at what price? Some Israelis claim it would be a blood bath, that hundreds of Palestinian children would die. "Nonsense," Malkin says. "These weapons, which include everything from mortars to anti-tank missiles, are buried in the sands. The children, the civilian population in general, will not be endangered." How about the rifles in the hands of the Palestinian Authority police, now 50,000 strong? "Most of them will run away with the rifles. We should never have armed them, this was a big mistake, but if we go in with full force it will not be a terrible problem." And the suicide bombers, how to stop them? "This happened when Arafat released them from the prisons, against his promises in the Oslo agreements. He knows where they are and he can jail them again. We must go after them ourselves, to hell with whether they are in the so-called Palestinian- controlled areas," says Malkin. "It will be difficult, but we have to try - and with proper intelligence we will succeed." Beyond all of this, Malkin wants Israel to ban Arafat from Israel and the territories. "This is very important," he says. "We must disconnect this murderer from his gangs. Arik Sharon worries that he will be called Milosevic if he moves in strongly. But Arafat is the real Milosevic. Would America, I ask you, allow such a killer to stay in the country?" The latest news out of the Israeli government is to hold off in order to see whether Arafat makes good on his call for an unconditional ceasefire. How would keeping him out do anything but destroy that chance? "It will help, if anything can help," says Malkin. "Arafat cannot be trusted, he has broken every promise he ever made. Disconnect him, and we will see what he will do. He has cell phones and faxes, he can control his killers from afar if he wishes. And if not, the Palestinians will have to decide whether he is or isn't their leader. And we will know if he has the power to make peace." Better than if he stays in Ramallah or Gaza? "Better by far," Malkin says. "We have to let him know and let his people know that the death of 19 children will not be forgotten. What are the parents of these children to think if we let it go by, as we have since Oslo?" The world seems to insist that the blame for the terror is on Israel, because they will not remove the settlements on the West Bank and Gaza. Malkin's answer to that is a question: "Is Tel Aviv a Jewish settlement?" And then he asks me as follows: "Would any American bank take Yasser Arafat's signature on a loan?" Not even as a co-signer, I answer. "So we are supposed to take his word on life and death?" American Coalition for Israel is an organization deeply concerned with Israel�s future and security. We will be sending you from time to time articles from the American press, statements by American organizations and politicians concerned with Israel, and translations of English language articles written by Israelis, in order to provide you with important information and opinion which is not widely published in Israel. We would appreciate your comments. If you don't wish to receive any future mailings please click mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?[EMAIL PROTECTED] ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Archives available at http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/
