Posted on 03/11/2003 2:52:53 PM PST by anotherview
Mar. 11, 2003
IDF reinforcements to Hebron after wave of attacks
By DAVID RUDGE
The IDF is expected to boost forces in Hebron and change its operational deployment there after the latest attack on Monday night in which St.-Sgt. Tomer Ron was killed and five other soldiers wounded - one of them seriously.
The death of Ron, 20, of Moshav Moledet, brought to 25 the number of soldiers and Jewish civilians killed in the area in the past four months - prompting the urgent need for new security measures in the ancient city and its environs.
Ron, a member of the Nahal Brigade's elite reconnaissance unit, is to be buried in the cemetery of his home moshav on Wednesday afternoon.
Hamas as well as Ahmed Jibril's Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command claimed responsiblity for the deadly attack in Hebron, which occurred despite the ongoing crackdown by the security forces on terrorist organizations in the territories.
According to security sources, the Hebron area has not only become a hotbed of terrorist activity but also a launching pad for bombings and other attacks elsewhere in the territories and inside Israel.
Mahmoud Salim Kawasme, 20, the suicide bomber who carried out the murderous attack aboard a packed bus in Haifa last Wednesday, killing 17 people and wounding dozens of others, came from Hebron.
The explosive device that he detonated on the bus, as it pulled into a stop in Sderot Moriah on the Carmel, was reportedly manufactured in Hebron after the organizations's terrorist infrastructure in the city was revitalized by one of its leading members, known as Ali Aliyan.
Hamas, however, is far from being the sole operator in the district, which had been considered relatively quiet until the "alley of death" attack in December in which 12 soldiers and members of Kiryat Arba's emergency response unit were killed.
It was this previous semblance of calm, in an area that has seen so much bloodletting and friction in the past, that prompted the Palestinian terrorist organizations and especially Hamas to reignite the violence.
The attack on Monday night followed hard on the heels of the killing in Kiryat Arba on Friday night of Dina and Eli Horowitz who were shot to death in their home as they were sitting down for their Shabbath meal.
Three other residents were wounded in the attack perpetrated by two Hamas terrorists who were themselves shot and killed by Nahal Brigade soldiers.
Leaders of the Jewish communities in Hebron and Kiryat Arba demanded that thhe government take tough actions against Palestinian terrorist organizations in the area and other measures to deter further atrocities.
These included demands to demolish Arab homes lining the route between Kiryat Arba and Hebron and the deportation of families of terrorists from the West Bank to Gaza.
They warned that if such measures were not adopted there was a risk that some hardliners might try to take the law into their own hands and commit acts that would be deeply regretted afterwards.
In light of the deterioration in the security situation and in view of the heated atmosphere among Jewish residents in the area, the IDF is expected to launch a major crackdown against the terrorist infrastructure in Hebron and its environs in addition to ongoing operations elsewhere.
The latter are continuing unabated with two would-be suicide bombers being arrested in the Daheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem and the Makhfia district near Nablus. Troops also arrested a suspected Fatah bomb-maker near Ramallah and a Tanzim member in Nablus.
Two terrorists were wounded in a gunfight with IDF soldiers near Kfar Darom in the Gaza Strip and explosive devices were found nearby.
Security sources said that IDF troops uncovered a bomb factory in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip where they found a 50-kilogram device and several pipe bombs as well as other explosives.
Three terrorists wanted for questioning by the security forces were also arrested in the area. One of them was found with three Kalashnikov rifles in his possession.
Altogether some 15 Palestinians suspected of being members of terrorist organizations or wanted for questioning were arrested during raids in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.