Israel Matzav

US calls for free passage of terrorists through checkpoints and into Jerusalem

The United States has called for the free passage of 'Palestinian' terrorists through checkpoints and into Jerusalem - so long as they are riding in 'Palestinian Red Crescent' ambulances.

That's the upshot of an American call on Israel "to fully implement an agreement allowing Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances to move freely in Palestinian territory and through Israeli checkpoints."

John Bellinger, legal adviser at the U.S. State Department, also said that the Israeli relief organization Magen David Adom (MDA) and the Palestinian Red Crescent (PRC) were close to reaching an agreement for PRC ambulances to enter Jerusalem.

"We have been urging the Israeli government at the highest levels to cut through the red tape -- still in accordance with their laws -- but to try to move as quickly as possible to help the societies work out the agreement for the operation of these ambulances...," Bellinger told a news conference in Geneva.

...

"We have been urging in particular Israel to fully implement the commitments it made in connection with the Memo of Understanding," said Bellinger, who heads the U.S. delegation to the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

Per Stenbeck, a former general secretary of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, is charged with monitoring the agreement. This week he circulated a confidential report on his findings.

"He found there was a lack of full implementation in a number of different areas, in particular ambulances that would be able to travel into Jerusalem to be operated by the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The two societies are very close in working out arrangements for the ambulances to begin operation," Bellinger said.

The problem is that - as is often the case - the al-Reuters story I just quoted above lacks context. Do you recognize the picture at the top of this post? Let me tell you her story and then you should understand why Israel cannot just allow 'Palestinian' ambulances free passage through our cities and towns:

In recent days Israeli security forces have witnessed an increasing use of ambulances and and medical vehicles by terrorist organizations. The terrorists are working on the premise that these vehicles do not undergo thorough examinations when they pass through IDF roadblocks and checkpoints.

The most prominent example of this phenomenon is the apparent use of a medical vehicle or medical accreditation to help carry out the suicide terror attack on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem on January 27. The woman suicide bomber, Wafa Idris, a resident of the Amari refugee camp near Ramallah, worked as a medical secretary for the Palestinian Red Crescent.

The investigation indicates that Idris was sent to commit this suicide attack by Mohammed Hababa, a Tanzim operative and ambulance driver for the Palestinian Red Crescent. Hababa is a resident of the Beit-Iksa village, in the Ramallah area.

Among the group that planned the attack was Munzar Noor, a resident of the town of Anabta near Tulkarm, who also works for the Red Crescent in Ramallah. Noor is currently being questioned by the Palestinian security services.

Israeli security officials do not yet have a clear picture of how Idris made her way from Ramallah to Jerusalem. However, investigators believe that Red Crescent documentation held by the suicide bomber and her accomplices, and perhaps even a Red Crescent vehicle, helped them through IDF roadblocks and eased the checks they had to undergo.

On January 27, 2002, Wafa Idris, a 27-year old divorcee, became the first female suicide bomber.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:10 AM