---------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (A.Wosni) Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 12:52:20 +0200 To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [L-I] Israelis Plan Blitzkrieg (fwd) MER schrieb: > _______ ____ ______ > / |/ / /___/ / /_ // M I D - E A S T R E A L I T I E S > / /|_/ / /_/_ / /\\ Making Sense of the Middle East > /_/ /_/ /___/ /_/ \\� http://www.MiddleEast.Org > > News, Information, & Analysis That Governments, Interest Groups, > and the Corporate Media Don't Want You To Know! > * * * * * * * > IF YOU DON'T GET MER, YOU JUST DON'T GET IT! > To receive MER regularly email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > ISRAELIS PLANNING BLITZKRIEG? > > MID-EAST REALITIES � - www.MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 6/01/01: > For a long time now we have been desperately warning about what the true > Israeli intentions are. We have also been warning that the Palestinians are > not at all prepared for these eventualities, neither with the terrible > leadership provided by the "Palestinian Authority" nor for the world-wide > information and public relations battle that accompanies all major > developments in our world these days. And we have been warning as well that > the situation in Washington is far worse for the Palestinians than their > friends and supporters try to pretend, largely because the "client > organizations" in their own way are just as bad as the "client regimes" who > control them. These three press reports point the direction of what may be > coming...maybe soon now: > > > > SHARON CONSIDERS PLAN FOR 48-HOUR KNOCKOUT PUNCH > > JERUSALEM � Special to World Tribune, 1 June: > Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has been presented with a > plan calling for the destruction of the Palestinian Authority > in two days. > > "It's clear that the continuation of the terrorism and the > restraint cannot continue for > much longer, not more than a few days," Israeli President > Moshe Katsav told > state-owned Israel Radio on Friday. > > The plan presented by National Infrastructure Minister > Avigdor Lieberman would > launch an Israeli military invasion of at least six major > cities in the West Bank and > another four in the Gaza Strip, Middle East Newsline > reported. Israeli troops would > be given at least two days to destroy Palestinian military > installations, weapons > factories and arresting leaders of the Palestinian insurgency. > > The Israeli capture of these cities would be brief, according > to the plan. The West > Bank would then be divided into a series of provinces > administered separately by > Palestinians. Israel would then discuss with new Palestinians > leaders such issues as > self-rule. > > "We have to go into Area A [PA territory] and destroy the > entire military > infrastructure," Lieberman said. > > Israeli officials said the military has drawn up similar > plans and they are now being > reviewed by Sharon. The officials said Sharon is expected to > delay any Israeli attack > until after he returns from his European tour, which begins > on Sunday. The prime > minister is scheduled to fly to Berlin, Brussels and Paris. > > Katsav was speaking in Washington where he met his U.S. > counterpart, George > Bush. Israeli sources said Katsav submitted to Bush a request > from Sharon for an > additional $800 million in U.S. military aid pledged by the > previous Clinton > administration. > > Sharon is under increasing pressure from some of his Likud > Party and right-wing > ministers as well as Jewish settlers to launch an offensive > against the PA. On > Thursday, several Israelis were arrested during a > demonstration in Jerusalem against > the government's policy of restraint. "We need Winston > Churchill and not > Chamberlain," Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, spiritual leader of the > Jewish settlement of > Efrat, said. > > PA officials said they are preparing for an Israeli > onslaught. They said Israel has > waged a psychological warfare that seeks to sow strife within > the Palestinian > leadership. > > PA gunners fired mortars early Friday toward Jewish > settlements in the Gaza Strip. > The Israeli military, as part of its unilateral ceasefire, > did not respond. > > U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned PA Chairman > Yasser Arafat and > reiterated the U.S. demand to end the eight-month-old war > against Israel. > > > > > ARAFAT WARNS OF ISRAELI ATTACK > > BRUSSELS, Belgium �� AP - 31 May: Palestinian leader > Yasser > Arafat claimed Thursday that senior Israeli officials were > preparing a > "new war" to paralyze his Palestinian Authority. > > "I have received a letter saying the (Ariel) Sharon > government has > adopted the principle of a new war against the Palestinian > people," he said > in a speech to the upper house of the Belgian Parliament. > > "The goal of the Israeli army in calling a truce is in fact > to mobilize the > Israeli mass to prepare an atrocious war ... in which they > will use all > military means to paralyze the Palestinian Authority," > Arafat added. > > Arafat was responding to comments from Israeli > Infrastructure Minister > Avigdor Lieberman, a hard-liner in the cabinet of Prime > Minister Arial > Sharon's government, who said Israel should immediately > reoccupy > Palestinian-controlled areas in the West Bank and the Gaza > Strip. > > "In the next 48 hours we need to go into all Palestinian > areas and destroy > the entire infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority, > destroy the weapons > cache of their forces including those of the militias," > Lieberman told Israeli > radio. > > Arafat addressed the Belgian Senate on the latest stop on a > European tour > that had earlier taken him to Russia and Denmark. He spoke > in Arabic > and his comments were relayed by a French translator. > > > > > ISRAELI PRESIDENT WARNS ARAFAT > By David R. Sands > > THE WASHINGTON TIMES - 1 June: > Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has "a few days, > no > more" to end the violence among his supporters or face a > sharply escalated Israeli military response, Israel�s > president > said yesterday. > "People are fed up. Our > patience is not unlimited," Moshe > Katsav said in an interview with > editors and reporters of The > Washington Times at Blair House, > the United States� official > executive guest residence. > Mr. Katsav said he conveyed > his concerns to President Bush, > Secretary of State Colin L. Powell > and other top administration > officials in meetings yesterday. Mr. > Bush also hosted a working dinner > last night for the Israeli president, who is on his > first official > trip to Washington since his surprise election last > summer. > Eight months of clashes between Palestinians and > Israeli > security forces have intensified in recent days, > despite the > release last month of a report by a commission headed by > former Sen. George Mitchell calling for an immediate > cease-fire and steps to rebuild the shattered peace > process. > Four Israeli settlers have been killed in the past > three > days, prompting intense political pressure on the > government > for a crackdown. > "It is a question of a few days, not more, for > Yasser > Arafat to decide" whether to halt the violence, Mr. > Katsav > said in the interview. > Should Israel respond militarily, the president > said, it > would not be by reoccupying territory now administered > by > the Palestinians, but by "an attack on the centers and > sources > of the terrorism," which he said included Mr. Arafat�s > leadership group. > Mr. Katsav also said he had told Mr. Bush he was > convinced that Mr. Arafat has concluded that street > violence > and terrorism are effective ways to achieve his > political ends. > Mr. Katsav said Mr. Bush replied, "I hope you are > wrong." But, the Israeli added, Mr. Bush "is not sure." > White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that, at > their > morning meeting, Mr. Bush had "reaffirmed America�s > support for Israel and . . . discussed the United > States� > engagement to be a facilitator in the region." > A U.S. diplomatic team headed by Ambassador William > Burns, Mr. Powell�s newly designated point man for the > region, has made little progress in arranging meetings > to get > the two sides to discuss new security arrangements to > halt the > fighting. > Palestinian officials contend Israel hopes to use > the truce > to entrench itself in disputed territories. They point > to > passages in the Mitchell report that call for an > eventual total > freeze on Israeli settlements in occupied territory, > which > Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has yet to accept. > In Jerusalem yesterday, Mr. Sharon echoed Mr. > Katsav�s > warnings that Israel�s self-imposed cease-fire will end > soon if > Mr. Arafat does not move to curb the violence. > "My blood is boiling," Mr. Sharon said during a > visit to the > family of a Jewish settler on the West Bank killed in a > roadside ambush this week. "I will have to decide when > to do > what I think has to be done." > Israeli press outlets reported that Mr. Sharon had > phoned > Mr. Powell Wednesday after a car bombing in the coastal > city of Netanya to say the current situation was > intolerable > and could not continue much longer. > State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said > yesterday that Mr. Powell had talked to both Mr. Sharon > and > Mr. Arafat by phone Wednesday evening, imploring both to > stop the fighting. > Mr. Powell urged Mr. Sharon to "continue his > policy of > restraint and de-escalation," Mr. Boucher said > yesterday. > But the Israeli prime minister is also under > pressure from > domestic critics to strike hard in the wake of the most > recent > violence. > Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a rival > in > Mr. Sharon�s own Likud Party, urged a direct attack on > the > Palestinian Authority�s infrastructure. > "We must go from reaction to decisive action," Mr. > Netanyahu said. "We must make it clear to Arafat that > if he > continues his policy of terror, we will cause this > corrupt > terrorist regime to collapse and we have the power to do > this." > Mr. Katsav, 56, shot to international prominence > last July > when he upset former prime minister and Nobel Peace > Prize > laureate Shimon Peres in a secret ballot of Israel�s > parliament, > the Knesset, for the largely ceremonial but high-profile > president�s post. > Mr. Katsav, who was born in Iran and moved to > Israel as > a boy, has been seen as a symbol of the political > emergence > of the "second Israel" -- the wave of Sephardic Jews > from > Arab and Islamic countries who moved to the new Jewish > state in its early years and still form the bulk of the > country�s > lower classes. > A Knesset member for the conservative Likud Party > since > 1977, Mr. Katsav denied during last year�s voting that > he > was running an "ethnic" campaign, but many saw his > victory > as a challenge to the European-oriented Ashkenazi Jews > who > have traditionally dominated the country�s politics. > In yesterday�s interview, Mr. Katsav said: > � Israel was convinced, based on its own > intelligence > sources, that Mr. Arafat had the power to bring the > violence > to a halt, even with loosely affiliated groups, such as > Hamas. > �A combined appeal from Europe and the United > States > for an end to Palestinian violence would force Mr. > Arafat to > back down. > � Ordinary Palestinians have suffered even more > than > Israelis from Mr. Arafat�s record of broken promises > and by > the violence that has claimed more than 500 lives since > the > collapse of the Camp David summit last summer. > The Israeli president said that, while it was > "very difficult" > for him to trust the Palestinian leader, he would > continue to > negotiate with him. > "He�s my partner. He�s popular with his people. > What can > I do?" Mr. Katsav asked. > "I want peace. Do I have any choice?" > �Abraham Rabinovich in Je-rusalem contributed to > this > report. > > > > > ---------------------------------- > MiD-EasT RealitieS - http://www.MiddleEast.Org > Phone: 202 362-5266 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > To subscribe email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with subject SUBSCRIBE > To unsubscribe email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with subject UNSUBSCRIBE > > _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
