Posted on 09/07/2003 12:22:42 AM PDT by yonif
When Israel was told by Washington that the U.S. opposes the expulsion or targeting of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Jerusalem responded that in view of the current situation, "Palestinian leaders employing terrorism against Israeli citizens will no longer be immune."
The bombing of a home in Gaza City yesterday, while Hamas's spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was presiding over a meeting of the organization, was the practical implementation of Israel's view. Yassin and 10 other individuals were injured in the airborne attack.
The attack was carried out using of a 250-kilogram bomb, and was preceded by a debate over the choice of armament for the mission. In this case, it was decided to use a fighter-bomber and not a helicopter gunship, as had been the norm in previous attacks. The planners were operating with the attack on Salah Shehadeh, head of the Hamas military wing, in mind. In that attack, Israel used a 1,000 kilogram bomb that was dropped by an F-16, resulting in the destruction of nearby homes and the deaths of 15 innocent civilians.
Yesterday's bomb destroyed the upper story of the building and initial reports suggest that six persons were removed from the house, one of them apparently being Sheikh Yassin. The home belongs to a lecturer at the Islamic University in Gaza, Marwan Abu Ras, who has close links with the Hamas leadership.
The fact that Israeli intelligence knew that the meeting was to take place in the home of Abu Ras indicates to the Hamas leadership that they are under constant surveillance and that in spite of their precautions - some of them are known to have taken up residence outside their homes - Israeli intelligence is capable of penetrating very close to their top echelons.
The strike on Sheikh Yassin failed, but senior Hamas officials are aware that it is now only a matter of time before they are targeted again and pay a personal price for the continuation of terrorism against Israel.
One cannot disassociate last week's debate in Washington over whether to target Arafat with the attempt on Yassin yesterday. Despite reports from last week that the U.S. agreed to the expulsion of Arafat, it appears that the Americans have sent Israel a clear message that the Palestinian leader should not be touched.
Even after the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas from the post of prime minister, as a result of pressure from Arafat, it appears that there has been no change in Washington's stance regarding the expulsion of Arafat.
The visit to Washington by Dov Weisglass, chief of staff of the Prime Minister's Office, was, in retrospect, an attempt to get a green light from the Americans for the expulsion of Arafat. However, it must have been clear to Sharon, from his past experiences and contacts with the Bush administration, that the chances that he would be given a definitive, positive response to the issue was most unlikely. What was surprising was the fact that the matter was raised at all, and in this fashion. Weisglass was given a clear, negative answer from U.S. Ambassador in Israel Daniel Kurtzer.
Nevertheless, it was interpreted in Israel that Kurtzer represented the point of view of the U.S. State Department and that the response of U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice or Vice-President Richard Cheney would be different. Weisglass received a distinct negative response when Rice told him that the American policy on Arafat had not changed. This means that Arafat is to be kept at a distance, but that there should be no attempt to either expel him or harm him physically.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. I've been calling for his ugly head on a pike since about 1979 (in high school), and quite frankly I've finally given up.
Wild Thing
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