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Analysis: Israeli experts say UK didn't dig deep enough in uprooting Islamists
Jpost ^ | 07-09-05 | ARIEH O'SULLIVAN

Posted on 07/09/2005 5:29:22 AM PDT by veronica

Conforming to the restrained British character, Thursday's attacks are more likely to lead to measured, surgical steps against terrorists rather than bombastic crackdowns, Israeli counter-terrorism analysts say.

A former senior IDF intelligence officer said the attack was probably linked with al-Qaida and should serve as a catalyst for setting up a global counter-terrorism headquarters. The terror attacks were also likely greatly helped by sleeper cells inside Britain, one analyst said. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Ya'acov Amidror, a former chief of IDF intelligence assessment, said that post-9/11 – with the exception of Madrid – the West had been able to foil attempted al-Qaida attacks. Except for Madrid, all major al-Qaida attacks since September 11 were in either Muslim countries or poorly functioning countries like Kenya.

"The key to fighting this global terror network is closer cooperation between the various security agencies in the world," Amidror told Army Radio from London, where he was touring. Moti Cristal, an expert in negotiation and a fellow at the Institute for Counterterrorism at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, said British security had not been caught sleeping, but rather didn't root out terror cells with enough resolve.

"In the past two years, they have arrested several cells. But this attack shows they didn't go deep enough and this is mainly due to legal and cultural restrictions. Now they will be much freer to go deeper," Cristal predicted.

Cristal explained that British attempts to enact antiterrorism measures following the attacks of September 11 were "bashed by the House of Lords and the liberal nature of the British people. Now this attack will provide a very important backing for their government to do what they know they should do and this is to take much more countermeasures and surgical operations without breaking the very delicate relationship with Britain's Muslims."

He added that the attack was not aimed at influencing certain events and had no immediate political goal. This is in contrast with the Madrid bombings, which were scheduled to influence Spain's national elections and pressure the country to remove its troops from Iraq. Cristal believed the timing was more likely linked to the announcement of London as the host of the 2012 Olympic Games than the G8 gathering in Scotland.

"They did it to humiliate the British and to show the world how vulnerable London is. It was anger, revenge and punishment for what they conceived as British arrogance and support for the United States."

Cristal said that retaliation by Britain was not an issue.

"It's about preventing the next attack. The big challenge the Brits are facing now is to use this chance to redefine the balance between human rights and measures against terrorism," he said. Dr. Hanan Shai, a lecturer on military and security at the Hebrew University, said care needed to taken to prevent the terrorists from achieving their aim of forcing the West to destroy itself by limiting freedoms.

"In the long run, their great achievement is to cause a blow to individual rights. Success for them would be for modern Western society, by its own hand, to turn into a totalitarian one," Shai said. "From attack to attack we become less pluralistic."

Still, he advocated a stronger stand against suicide bombers. The report that at least one of the bombs in London was set off by a suicide bomber should awaken the need to tackle the outdated rules of war which ignore terrorists' violations of morality, he said.

"In the Second World War, military leaders ran the world. In the Cold War, it was run by diplomatic leaders. During the war on terrorism, the intellectuals needed to take a leadership role, but they have not. Instead of reexamining the rules of morality against non-conventional weapons, such as suicide bombers, they are attacking [US President George W.] Bush and [British Prime Minister Tony] Blair," Shai said.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: alqaedauk; jihadineurope; london

1 posted on 07/09/2005 5:29:23 AM PDT by veronica
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To: veronica
The Brits allow mosques openly preach violence, harbor them. What do they expect?

The muslims are going to goad the Brits into taking up arms.
Wait, guns are banned.

Well, taking up swords and knives.
Wait, soon to be banned.

Hmmm

article from the Guardian..
Demand for pitchforks outstrips supply

2 posted on 07/09/2005 5:44:40 AM PDT by Vinnie
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To: veronica

Why do Israelis always show off their expertise and look down on others? Some also show off their advanced security related technology and compare it with America, looking like they want to say Americans are more dumb than Israelis. This attitude of racism is very irritating. In fact, MI5 tracks down 40% of Islam fundamentalists in United Kingdom, and this is very high in the intelligence community. If Israeli experts know nothing about the abilities of their intelligence, they should shut up.


3 posted on 07/09/2005 5:51:33 AM PDT by Wiz
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To: Wiz
You didn't managed to dispute anything in the article. Europe has been far too tolerant of the ranting jihadis in their midst, until that is they are hit (see Amsterdam post the murder of Theo Van Gogh.) Facts are facts. Israel has been dealing with this sitution for many years, and has experience.

I am sure your anti-Israel rant would be applauded at less savory sites, such as LF or LP.

4 posted on 07/09/2005 6:01:34 AM PDT by veronica
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To: Wiz
UK'S TERROR FEAR: CLERIC WE CAN'T KICK OUT - Apr 4 2004 - THIS IS the Muslim cleric linked to the Madrid bombings...outside his UK home.

This is the animal linked to this week's bombing as well.

5 posted on 07/09/2005 6:08:01 AM PDT by veronica
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Comment #6 Removed by Moderator

To: veronica

"UK'S TERROR FEAR: CLERIC WE CAN'T KICK OUT"

Steps to take care of this problem:
1) Arrest the SOB.
2) Interrogate the SOB.
3) If the SOB doesn't talk, torture him.
4) If he still doesn't talk, kill him.
5) If he talks, let him live as long as he talks, then
kill him.
6) Chop his body up and feed him to swine.
7) Send video to the islamist media: Al Jazeera, NY Times, LA Times.
8)) Repeat steps 1 through 7 on the next muslim cleric.


7 posted on 07/09/2005 7:56:44 AM PDT by ArmedNReady (Demand That Your Congressmen Declare islam a Terrorist Organization)
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To: veronica

What a racist you are!


8 posted on 07/09/2005 8:05:53 AM PDT by Wiz
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To: mitchflorida2

So does MI5!


9 posted on 07/09/2005 8:06:23 AM PDT by Wiz
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To: Wiz

What's your definition of a racist? Someone who doesn't hate Jews??


10 posted on 07/09/2005 8:07:42 AM PDT by veronica
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To: veronica
"In the long run, their great achievement is to cause a blow to individual rights. Success for them would be for modern Western society, by its own hand, to turn into a totalitarian one," Shai said. "From attack to attack we become less pluralistic."
Fundamentally wrong, and anti-historical, to boot. Ancient Athens was a pluralistic democracy with individual rights for its freemen - and slaveholding society at the same time. Thus it is possible to have democratic society which DOES NOT include the whole of its population in the democratic sphere. One could even argue that it SHOULD NOT.
11 posted on 07/09/2005 9:15:16 AM PDT by GSlob
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