Posted on 05/15/2005 5:54:30 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
JERUSALEM (AP) - The man behind the contentious practice of killing Palestinian militants with missile strikes became head of Israel's feared Shin Bet security service Sunday, taking charge of the agency at a time when it faces the additional task of watching Jewish extremists.
At his swearing-in, Yuval Diskin warned that Palestinian militants, who have been observing a cease-fire, could resume attacks at any time.
"We have to be ready for a renewed outbreak of terror and fight it with determination and professionalism," said Diskin, only the fourth chief of the secretive agency to appear in public while in office.
Diskin will also have to monitor Jewish extremists trying to derail Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza Strip this summer. Security officials have warned that desperate withdrawal opponents might try to attack Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who is protected by the Shin Bet bodyguard unit. The Shin-Bet combines many of the functions of the American FBI and Secret Service.
Diskin said the conflict over the Gaza withdrawal is shaking up Israeli society. He said the Shin Bet must "ensure that the legitimate internal differences do not degenerate into a war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness."
The Shin-Bet's signal failure came in 1995, when a Jewish extremist assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, shooting him dead at point-blank range. Some have compared the present atmosphere to then.
Diskin replaces Avi Dichter, a hard-liner who often counseled against easing restrictions on Palestinians and releasing prisoners, regardless of the possible harm to Israeli-Palestinian peacemaking.
As the Shin Bet's deputy chief from 2000-2003, Diskin developed the practice of tracking and killing Palestinian fugitives, including masterminds of suicide bombings and shooting attacks that killed hundreds of Israelis.
Since 2001, Israel has killed scores of militants, as well as dozens of bystanders. In the attacks, the Shin Bet worked closely with the military, providing information on the whereabouts of fugitives, setting them up for helicopter missile strikes. In a few cases, militants were killed by explosives planted in cars or telephones.
Among the targets were leaders of Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, responsible for most of the suicide bombings and shootings in the current conflict. Several weeks apart in 2004, Israel killed Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin and his successor, Abdel Aziz Rantisi in Gaza missile strikes.
Diskin developed the method by closely cooperating with the military and relying on advanced technology.
Diskin, 49, joined the Shin Bet in 1978. Throughout his career, he dealt with potential threats posed by Palestinian and Arab militants, including postings as an operative in the West Bank and in Lebanon.
Diskin, who has five children and reportedly dabbles in writing poetry, has forged close ties with some Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son, Omri, a legislator.
His appointment has drawn criticism from human rights groups. Hanna Friedman, executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said Israel should not reward the man who "authored" the practice of targeted killings.
"If a person acts in violation of international conventions Israel has signed, this is immoral activity," she said.
I like his
Ode to a Hamas piece of crap
BOOOM!!!
BOOOMM!!!
Hanna Friedman, executive director of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, said Israel should not reward the man who "authored" the practice of targeted killings.
He deserves the accolades of all Israel!
Elie Cohn Bump.
Feared by whom?
(steely)
Hanna is another IINO. Israeli in name only
Hamas is like
A stagnant pond
Breeding mosquitoes and disease
People like her served as Kapos in the camps. its a pity so many tzadikim were killed , but dreck like her are survive.
The only thing wrong with the targeted killing policy was that it didn't go after the top leaders of the PA. There is an old Yiddish saying which translates as "A fish rots from the head." With the terrorists we have failed to cut off the head.
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