Released terrorists to be sent abroad?
In what could be a sign that a terrorist release is imminent, General Security Services chief Yoram Cohen is saying that if the fourth round of terrorist releases goes ahead,
at least ten of the terrorists would have to be sent abroad.
If, eventually, the “fourth round” of terrorist prisoner releases
takes place, the list of those to be released is set to include ten
arch-terrorists whose families live in Judea and Samaria – and they are
deemed to be too dangerous to be allowed to return to their homes by
Shabak security agency chief Yoram Cohen.
A report on Channel Two said that the ten are part of the 26
terrorists set to be released in the deal. Cohen, who will be asked to
present his official viewpoint in the event that the terrorist prisoner
release comes up for a Cabinet vote, intends to urge ministers to
condition the release of these terrorists on their being sent to Gaza,
or to an Arab country, and not allow them to return to Judea and
Samaria.
In recent statements, Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas has
said that he will not accept a deal in which terrorists are not allowed
to return to the villages they lived in before their arrest.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Abu Mazen, Judea and Samaria, Palestinian terrorists, Shin Bet, Yoram Cohen
Hamas tells al-Hayat it will kidnap more soldiers, Israel will lighten Gaza blockade
You will recall that General Security Service chief Yoram Cohen told us last week that
Israel has not agreed not to harm the 'Palestinian' terrorists that Israel has agreed to release on Tuesday. On Friday, Hamas sources told the London-based
al-Hayat daily
exactly the opposite.
The source said that Hamas has also expected the naval blockade of Gaza to lighten following the conclusion of the exchange, Al Hayat reported.
The Jerusalem Post could not confirm this report.
A Hamas official in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, told Al Hayat that Israel was obligated to refrain from targeting any of the Palestinian prisoners as a part of the agreement.
Under the deal, Israel will immediately release 450 male prisoners on a list of names drawn up with Hamas, and another 27 female prisoners, and then get Schalit in return. Israel will then free another 550 prisoners of its own choosing in two months.
This was not the first time that Hamas said they would not reject a policy of IDF kidnappings.
On Wednesday, Abu Obaida, spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, Izzadin Kassam said that Schalit, who is set to be released as part of a prisoner exchange deal, "will not be the last solider kidnapped by Hamas as long as Israel keeps Palestinian prisoners detained."
YNet
raises some doubts as to the reliability of the 'Palestinian' sources.
Highlighting the deal's positive aspects, the Hamas official said that Israel had ultimately agreed to releasing 54 out of 70 "heavy" prisoners which were the focus of previous negotiations, as well as some Arab-Israeli prisoners and former east Jerusalem residents. It should be noted that a senior Egyptian official said Thursday that only 40 "heavy" prisoners would be released.
Hamdan also addressed the second stage of the deal which will see 550 prisoners chosen by Israel and Egypt released. "Egypt is the only party to guarantee the implementation of stage B conditions," he said.
"According to the finalized conditions, prisoners of the second stage will be regarded as security prisoners rather than criminal inmates, they will come from all parts of the political spectrum and all areas. Their health state, prison sentenced and time served will all be taken into consideration."
What could go wrong?
Labels: Osama Hamdan, terrorists for Gilad trade, Yoram Cohen
Things that you see from there, you don't see from here?
Based on his recommendation, Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet passed a deal releasing 1,027 terrorists in exchange for kidnapped IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit on Tuesday night. But Netanyahu didn't always believe that releasing terrorists was a good idea. In his book,
Fighting Terrorism, How Democracies Can Defeat the International Terrorist Network, Netanyahu
warned against releasing terrorists.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warned against exchanging terrorists for kidnapped soldiers in his 1995 book, Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorists, writing that it was “a mistake that Israel made over and over again” and that refusing to release terrorists from prison was “among the most important policies that must be adopted in the face of terrorism.”
“The release of convicted terrorists before they have served their full sentences seems like an easy and tempting way of defusing blackmailed situations in which innocent people may lose their lives, but its utility is momentary at best,” Netanyahu wrote.
“Prisoner releases only embolden terrorists by giving them the feeling that even if they are caught, their punishment will be brief. Worse, by leading terrorists to think such demands are likely to be met, they encourage precisely the terrorist blackmail they are supposed to defuse.”
So is this a case of things that you see from there, you don't see from here? Hardly. First, Netanyahu has not always practiced what he preached.
In his first term as prime minister, he released Hamas mentor Sheikh Ahmed Yassin from jail in 1997 in order to bring about the release of Israeli agents who had failed to assassinate Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in Jordan.
Both as prime minister and finance minister, Netanyahu voted to release terrorists from jail on several occasions. But he made a point of insisting that none of the prisoners who were freed had “blood on their hands.”
In 1996, Netanyahu gave Hezbollah 45 Shi’ite prisoners and more than 100 bodies of Hezbollah terrorists in exchange for the remains of IDF soldiers Yosef Fink and Rahamim Alsheik. In 1997, he released 750 prisoners as part of the Hebron Accord and 250 ahead of the Wye Plantation Agreement. None of the prisoners had blood on their hands.
As finance minister in November 2003, Netanyahu voted to release 430 prisoners in return for the release of Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of IDF soldiers Benny Avraham, Adi Avitan and Omar Sawayid.
Netanyahu justified his vote by ensuring that no terrorists with blood on their hands would be released, but he absented himself from a final vote on the exchange two months later.
But this time, the 'prisoners' being released clearly do have 'blood on their hands.' In fact, you may recall that during former Prime Minister
Ehud K. Olmert's term, he
bent over backwards to try to convince us that he would not release prisoners with 'blood on their hands.' So why did Bibi change his mind?
First, a carefully orchestrated
media campaign from people who see the Shalit's as 'one of their own.' Second, let's face reality: Bibi capitulated.
But at least we did
win some points:
However, Israel scored a major victory as nearly all top Palestinian terrorists will not be freed in the exchange, including: Marwan Barghouti who was sentenced to five life sentences for his role in the murders of Israelis during the al-Aksa intifada
Abdullah Barghouti who is serving out 67 consecutive life terms for building the bombs that murdered 66 people
Ahmed Saadat who headed the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and was responsible for the assassination of Israeli minister Rehavam Ze'evi
Hassan Salama, a Hamas leader who was convicted of murdering 67 Israeli citizens
Abbas a-Sayed, mastermind of the Park Hotel suicide bombing in which 30 Israelis were killed on the eve of Passover 2002
Ibrahim Hamed, who was found guilty of involvement in terrorist attacks that led to the death of 82 Israelis
"450 is a large number but 300 are leaving the area to Gaza or overseas," [General Security Service Director General Yoram] Cohen said.
According to Cohen, "It is a hard deal to digest for the families who lost their loved ones, but we cannot wait. If we do wait, we may not be able to bring Gilad home."
That's small consolation to my friend Arnold Roth, whose daughter Malki HY"D (May God avenge her blood) was murdered in the Sbarro terror attack, whose planner, Ahlam Tamimi, is among those being released. Here's what Arnold wrote in an email during the night.
You asked my wife Frimet and me how we feel about tonight's agreement for a mass release of Palestinian Arab prisoners in exchange for the freedom of Gilad Shalit, held hostage by Hamas for five years.
A government that seeks the defeat of the terrorists must refuse to release convicted terrorists from prisons. Israel has entered into transactions like this one several times in the past. If the plan was to bring terrorist attacks on Israelis to an end, then the release of those terrorists failed. We wonder why that lesson has never been properly internalized. Releasing imprisoned terrorists emboldens them and their colleagues. If they are captured, they know their imprisonment will be brief. By nurturing the belief that their demands are likely to be met in the future, you encourage terrorist blackmail of the very kind that you want to stop. Only the most unrelenting refusal to ever give in to such blackmail can prevent this.
If what I have just keyed in sounds vaguely familiar to some readers, there's a good reason. It's a paraphrase of page 144 of a 1997 book called "Fighting Terrorism: How Democracies Can Defeat Domestic and International Terrorists". The author is Benjamin Netanyahu, and tonight we are astonished at the decision he pushed through the government.
Nothing is official yet but the murderer of our daughter and 14 other people, most of them women and children, is on the release list as we feared for years she would be. She has said in published jail-house interviews that she will be freed. She says she is not sorry for what she did. Her central role in the murders at the Sbarro restaurant have made her a hero. With her release, she will be a living inspiration to countless young Arabs desperate for a positive role-model in life. Is Israel ready for the consequences of that?
Has our government taken into account what the release means to families like us, and we are in the thousands, who have suffered the worst possible loss and now see the perpetrators dancing and prancing in the arms of their supporters?
Everyone wants Gilad Shalit home, safe and well. If we were his parents, we might have done what the Shalits did. But this is not the same as deciding, as prime minister or as the cabinet, what is good for the country, for the people of Israel. The jubilation emanating from the two Palestinian Arab governments tonight, the Hamas and the Abu Mazen regimes, should make clear to Israel's friends everywhere that something dreadful has happened tonight. We may come to bitterly regret this transaction for years to come.
I'm with Arnold. He has more to say
here.
Labels: Ahlam Tamimi, Arnold Roth, Binyamin Netanyahu, Gilad Shalit, Palestinian terrorism, Sbarro terror attack, Yoram Cohen
GSS head furious: Barak ignored terror warning
Maariv reports (link in Hebrew) that General Security Service head Yoram Cohen is furious with Defense Minister Ehud Barak because
Barak ignored a specific warning about the Eilat-area terror attacks on August 18.
I was sent the following Google translation of the article (without a link - have not checked if the person who sent it improved it).
Events of the attack south of the country two weeks ago caused great tension in their relationship of the Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. A senior official familiar with the matter told yesterday (Wednesday) to Maariv ":" Shin Bet chief was furious over his handling of the defense minister warning focused on providing service to the band of terrorists. "
According to the source, Shin Bet head "just exploded" [on] the defense minister. One can also understand the fact that Ehud Barak was quick to place responsibility at the door of the Southern Command Tal Russo.collecting data related to the fatal attack turns out that the previous default large and widely published as so far. warning of GSS was detailed, accurate and timely given. Details were filled, even for their own activities of terrorists in Sinai, for infiltration into Israel, and for their command squad, sitting in Gaza. A senior security official states: "For years there was no warning security system such quality." ISA's recommendation was, therefore, take some evasive action and hit squad attack was in Gaza. Minister of Defense, according to this information, resisted and rejected the recommendation to "not burn the ground".
At the same time, it turns out that the warning did not reach the ground level in full, prompting the army did not prepare properly and what led forces to fold every morning and be satisfied with preparations for a night only. "This is a catastrophe," said a senior political security present at the meetings. "Only a miracle prevented us attack la bus up scorpions [Reference to 1954 terror attack I discussed here. CiJ]. If the bus driver was injured and a curfew in place to gallop forward, the terrorists were executed and confirmed killing dozens of passengers each. All this could have been avoided. " criticism is the fact that levels of command of the PRC issued, exercised and took command of the attack wiped out a few hours after, instead of several hours in front of him. "You could save a life here, many of the Israelis," said a senior official, "but
Defense Minister addiction of silence made it happened. At the same time, the staging was incomplete because not all of the information flowed and came down, only a miracle we saved a catastrophe. " Incidentally, after the attack and after the liquidation of the head arm carried him, the IDF killed one night another Jihad activist who was preparing another attack. "Suddenly," says a senior political factor, "the IDF also decided to eliminate someone making a terrorist attack. Suddenly has an interest not to light the area.People have forgotten their supreme interest here is to save lives of Israeli civilians and prevent terrorist attacks in our territory. We're lucky this time is relatively cheap. " Shin Bet said in response: We do not want to address. Defense Ministry spokesman said: The article claims unfounded and baseless.
It sounds like Barak was to blame for the terror attacks' success and not Tal Russo. Maybe Barak
went to sleep again.
Labels: Ehud Barak, Eilat, Palestinian terrorism, Yoram Cohen
What a difference a day makes
On Tuesday, YNet reported that 'Rightists' slammed new General Security Service chief Yoram Cohen, the first religious Jew to lead the agency, on the grounds that he would
bend over backward to show he was not biased toward the religious Jewish (and by implication revenant) community.
"The feeling is that he will be worse than all his predecessors because of the media attack against him, because supposedly he is an emissary of the right," one source said. "He will try anything to prove that he isn't one."
The elements noted in a conversation with Ynet that this would not be the first time that religious Shin Bet officials cracked down on right-wing activists.
"We have a bitter experience with skull cap-wearers in senior ranks, who dedicated a large part of their operations to prove that they are not rightists," one source said. "We are already preparing the (protest) signs against him."
But on Wednesday, there's
a different tune being sung regarding Cohen's appointment.
No small matter has been made of the fact that Cohen, if approved, will be the first kippa-wearing Shin Bet head and that he is the latest in a line of religious men appointed to high-ranking security positions. Maj.-Gen. Yair Naveh, who, like Cohen, graduated from a yeshiva high school, was recently tapped to serve as deputy chief of the General Staff and will probably compete for the top spot when Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz completes his term in three years. Ya’acov Amidror, who went to a national religious public school, was recently appointed head of the National Security Council.
Extensive media coverage was also devoted to reports that rabbinic figures supposedly lobbied Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not to appoint Y., a leading competitor for the top Shin Bet position. Apparently Y., who until a few months ago was responsible for, among other tasks, monitoring potential Jewish terrorism, had developed bad relations with leading religious Zionist rabbis and leaders.
The increased attention that religious Zionist leaders are paying to security matters and the fact that Cohen, Naveh and Amidror are religious reflect the changing personnel makeup of our security services. According to rough estimates, for some time now about a quarter of soldiers graduating officers’ training courses for combat units have been Orthodox, even though they make up no more than 15 percent of the total manpower. In some elite combat units such as Shaldag, a reconnaissance unit that works on the ground with the air force, and the Golani Brigade’s reconnaissance unit, where Cohen served, percentages are even higher.
In part, this is a result of religious Zionist rabbis’ educational messages. A study published in the August 2010 edition of Maarachot, the IDF’s magazine, noted that the religious Zionist educational system, and particularly the post-high school pre-military Orthodox academies, were contributing significantly to the rise in the number of religious officers and soldiers serving in elite combat units. For many religious young men, military service is seen as a fundamentally positive and important undertaking, even a mitzva, which combines religious conviction with civic responsibility.
Read the whole thing.
What a difference a day makes.
Labels: General Security Service, Shabak, Yoram Cohen
