1. Pardoned Terrorist Plots Bombing
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Two Fatah-aligned terrorists who were pardoned by outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert helped plot a bombing at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station on Tuesday that was foiled at the last minute by Israeli intelligence agents.
WorldNetDaily journalist Aaron Klein quoted a senior member in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the terrorist arm of the Fatah faction led by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, that Hizbullah was involved in funding the planned attack. A terror alert, the highest possible, set off a massive manhunt by air and land in the metropolitan Tel Aviv area during the rush hour until three suspects were arrested near the Central Bus Station.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Jenin coordinated the planned attack with Al Aqsa, which Klein explained did not inform the media because of the amnesty agreement and the prime minister's plan to free another 250 terrorists as a "goodwill" gesture to Abbas.
One of the terrorists involved in planning the attack was Mohammed Abu Drei, who was killed by the IDF in a counterterrorist operation in Shechem earlier this week. The IDF hunted him down for other terrorist connections, and only later in the week was it discovered that he was planning the strike against Tel Aviv.
The PA ostensibly has taken responsibility for maintaining law and order in Shechem and Jenin, but the deployment of armed special forces has mostly acted as a showcase for the United States and the PA to convince Israel that terror is under control. However, the special forces, which the government calls "police officers," do not operate at night, when most of the Israeli counterterrorist operations take place.
The planned Tel Aviv bombing was to be carried out with explosives that police discovered in a bag after the initial arrest of a Jenin Arab in a house near Tel Aviv.
Government spokesmen announced that Islamic Jihad was behind the foiled operation and did not make any mention of Fatah, which the Olmert administration is trying to prop up through concessions and counterterrorist operations aimed mostly at rival terrorist gangs.
The pardoned terrorist who was arrested is Ahmed Amire, a member of Al Aqsa from Jenin and who may have provided Israeli intelligence with more information about the imminent attack. Prime Minister Olmert granted amnesty to him, and to Drei as well as more than 100 comrades from Al Aqsa in return for a promise to turn in their weapons, remain in the custody of the PA for three months and not return to terrorism.
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by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Two Fatah-aligned terrorists who were pardoned by outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert helped plot a bombing at the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station on Tuesday that was foiled at the last minute by Israeli intelligence agents.
WorldNetDaily journalist Aaron Klein quoted a senior member in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the terrorist arm of the Fatah faction led by Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, that Hizbullah was involved in funding the planned attack. A terror alert, the highest possible, set off a massive manhunt by air and land in the metropolitan Tel Aviv area during the rush hour until three suspects were arrested near the Central Bus Station.
The Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Jenin coordinated the planned attack with Al Aqsa, which Klein explained did not inform the media because of the amnesty agreement and the prime minister's plan to free another 250 terrorists as a "goodwill" gesture to Abbas.
One of the terrorists involved in planning the attack was Mohammed Abu Drei, who was killed by the IDF in a counterterrorist operation in Shechem earlier this week. The IDF hunted him down for other terrorist connections, and only later in the week was it discovered that he was planning the strike against Tel Aviv.
The PA ostensibly has taken responsibility for maintaining law and order in Shechem and Jenin, but the deployment of armed special forces has mostly acted as a showcase for the United States and the PA to convince Israel that terror is under control. However, the special forces, which the government calls "police officers," do not operate at night, when most of the Israeli counterterrorist operations take place.
The planned Tel Aviv bombing was to be carried out with explosives that police discovered in a bag after the initial arrest of a Jenin Arab in a house near Tel Aviv.
Government spokesmen announced that Islamic Jihad was behind the foiled operation and did not make any mention of Fatah, which the Olmert administration is trying to prop up through concessions and counterterrorist operations aimed mostly at rival terrorist gangs.
The pardoned terrorist who was arrested is Ahmed Amire, a member of Al Aqsa from Jenin and who may have provided Israeli intelligence with more information about the imminent attack. Prime Minister Olmert granted amnesty to him, and to Drei as well as more than 100 comrades from Al Aqsa in return for a promise to turn in their weapons, remain in the custody of the PA for three months and not return to terrorism.
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2. Barak/Yesha Meet Clarifies Zero
by Hillel Fendel
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and leaders of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) met on Thursday morning to discuss the controversial Hevron building. It is still not clear whether Barak will agree to let the courts decide before attempting a potentially lethal forced eviction.
Barak appeared at a Pensioners Conference after the meeting, and did not sound conciliatory or compromising. “This building will be evacuated,” he said. “The building will be under IDF and state control until the court decides to whom it belongs.”
Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council, admitted that Barak’s statement was “not a good sign.” However, he added, “Let’s wait and see. He heard our proposal, but did not respond. Let’s see.”
The Yesha Council proposes to file a request for the District Court to speed up the process, and asks that Barak agree to delay the eviction until the Court hears the evidence concerning the sale and hands down a ruling.
The previous legal ruling – a Supreme Court decision that the State may evict the Jewish residents before a District Court ruling – did not deal with the actual evidence regarding the sale. The Jewish owners and residents are confident that the evidence, which includes documents as well as audio and video recordings, will prove that the building was bought from the Arab owner fair and square.
Also present at the meeting with Dayan and Barak were former Yesha Council head Pinchas Wallerstein, Mount Hevron Regional Council head Tzviki Bar-Chai, and senior Yesha Council figure Ze’ev Chever, known as Zambish.
Wallerstein said, “I’m not particularly optimistic. Barak’s words are not encouraging, but on the other hand, some of his aides sounded a little better. I can’t say what will happen.”
IsraelNN: “What did Barak say about the fact that the Supreme Court does not ‘require’ him to evict, but rather ‘allows’ him to do so?”
Wallerstein: “He does not accept that interpretation.”
IsraelNN: “But it’s written black on white, that the building ‘can’ be evacuated…”
Wallerstein: “Barak is not willing to allow law-breakers to determine the State’s actions… I don’t think he’s as afraid of having another Amona, or worse, as we think…”
IsraelNN: “What’s the next step?”
Wallerstein: “We don’t know.”
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by Hillel Fendel
Defense Minister Ehud Barak and leaders of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) met on Thursday morning to discuss the controversial Hevron building. It is still not clear whether Barak will agree to let the courts decide before attempting a potentially lethal forced eviction.
Barak appeared at a Pensioners Conference after the meeting, and did not sound conciliatory or compromising. “This building will be evacuated,” he said. “The building will be under IDF and state control until the court decides to whom it belongs.”
Danny Dayan, head of the Yesha Council, admitted that Barak’s statement was “not a good sign.” However, he added, “Let’s wait and see. He heard our proposal, but did not respond. Let’s see.”
The Yesha Council proposes to file a request for the District Court to speed up the process, and asks that Barak agree to delay the eviction until the Court hears the evidence concerning the sale and hands down a ruling.
The previous legal ruling – a Supreme Court decision that the State may evict the Jewish residents before a District Court ruling – did not deal with the actual evidence regarding the sale. The Jewish owners and residents are confident that the evidence, which includes documents as well as audio and video recordings, will prove that the building was bought from the Arab owner fair and square.
Also present at the meeting with Dayan and Barak were former Yesha Council head Pinchas Wallerstein, Mount Hevron Regional Council head Tzviki Bar-Chai, and senior Yesha Council figure Ze’ev Chever, known as Zambish.
Wallerstein said, “I’m not particularly optimistic. Barak’s words are not encouraging, but on the other hand, some of his aides sounded a little better. I can’t say what will happen.”
IsraelNN: “What did Barak say about the fact that the Supreme Court does not ‘require’ him to evict, but rather ‘allows’ him to do so?”
Wallerstein: “He does not accept that interpretation.”
IsraelNN: “But it’s written black on white, that the building ‘can’ be evacuated…”
Wallerstein: “Barak is not willing to allow law-breakers to determine the State’s actions… I don’t think he’s as afraid of having another Amona, or worse, as we think…”
IsraelNN: “What’s the next step?”
Wallerstein: “We don’t know.”
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