Coming action to be ‘crushing offensive’
Deporting the families of West Bank suicide bombers to the Gaza Strip, destroying their homes, and expelling Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Tanzim leaders are among the ideas expected to be discussed at today's weekly cabinet meeting.
Regional Cooperation Minister Roni Milo is expected to suggest that the government declare an emergency situation to create the legal base for deportations and home demolitions. "The war against terror necessitates enabling the legal system to make the changes necessary to succeed in this war," he said.
"We have to take much more massive action than we have until now. If this means entering the territories and staying there for a long time then we will have to consider it," Defense Ministry Director-General Amos Yaron told Israel Radio yesterday, describing the potential action as a "crushing offensive."
The idea of deporting the families of suicide bombers to the Gaza Strip, as well as deporting the West Bank leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Tanzim there, was first raised Friday at a meeting of the security cabinet. It was decided then to look into the legal aspects of these types of deportations.
A number of military actions were approved at that meeting, including entering the Palestinian cities in the West Bank and remaining there "as long as necessary." This determination was a compromise between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who said he wanted the decision to read that the IDF would remain in the Palestinian cities for a "prolonged period of time," and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who said he wanted the IDF to remain as long as the military considerations justify it.
Ben-Eliezer is opposed to remaining in the West Bank as a punitive measure. Earlier in the week the expanded inner cabinet said the IDF would take over parts of Area A after each terror attack, indicating this would be a punitive measure.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres is also opposed to taking over parts of Area A as a punitive measure, and argued at the security cabinet that the military actions need to be accompanied by some sort of "political horizon."At the security cabinet meeting, a number of ministers again raised the possibility of expelling Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, in the hope that a different Palestinian leadership would emerge in his place. The security services, however, have consistently argued that expelling Arafat would do more harm than good.
Facing little resistance, IDF troops backed by scores of tanks reoccupied most West Bank cities, rounding up suspected terrorists and destroying bomb factories over the weekend.Last night, the IDF announced that it was drafting a reserve brigade by emergency call-up orders. The brigade's three battalions had already been informed earlier that they were being mobilized. They are expected to report for training this morning before setting off for duty in the West Bank.
An IDF commander informed the mayor of the Ramallah-area town of Beitunya, until then part of Palestinian Authority area A, that the army now had full responsibility for security. Beitunya thus became the first Palestinian area to revert to full Israeli control.
Throughout the weekend, troops fanned out in Jenin, Tulkarm, Kalkilya, and Bethlehem, as well as in some rural villages and refugee camps. The IDF still has not entered Ramallah or Jericho. Palestinian reports said at least 50 tanks entered Nablus following Thursday's deadly attack in Itamar that killed five Israelis.
The army clamped blanket curfews wherever they deployed. In Beit Furik near Nablus on Friday, security forces arrested four fugitives. They also turned up a suicide bomb belt, bombs, and home-made weapons. In Jenin and Nablus, other fugitives were arrested. Arrest raids also took place in Judea, with suspected terrorists being apprehended in Dura near Hebron and in Yabed village near the settlement of Patza'el in the Jordan Valley.
A fugitive suspected of terror activities from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was nabbed at a roadblock near Surda, the army said.
To carry out what has been codenamed Operation Determined Path, the army froze most of its courses and dispatched troops to the fronts. The reserve brigade reporting to duty today is to supplement the extended operations. Commanders of more reserve units were also reportedly notified that they could be mobilized in the near future.
However, the scale of the current IDF operation is much smaller than April's Operation Defensive Shield, when five armored and semi-armored divisions were deployed. The resistance is much less this time, and most of the operations involve arresting suspected terrorists and destroying bomb factories.Among those reportedly arrested over the weekend was Muhammad Lufti, the acting secretary general of Fatah in the West Bank, who took over from Marwan Barghouti after he was arrested in April. Lufti is also the director-general of the Palestinian Interior Ministry. He was arrested in his house in Beitunya.
During the quiet takeover of the city, where West Bank Preventive Security Service chief Jabril Rajoub had his headquarters before it was burned down last April, two officers entered the office of Mayor Arafat Khalef.
"From now on," said Lt.-Col. Aviv Reshef, commander of the "Granit" Nahal battalion, "responsibility for security in this town returns to Israel. We could be staying here for some time. If you have a problem with running the town, then you can count on us for help." Reshef also informed Khalef that the curfew on the town could be lifted if the quiet prevailed. A civil administration officer translated the IDF officer's comments.
"To the best of my knowledge, the security responsibility here has been in your hands for some three months," Khalef curtly replied.
The Nahal units took over a girls' school as its forward headquarters, the school having already let out for the summer. Two other structures, both empty, were also commandeered.With the IDF in semi-permanent command of Beitunya, the villagers will likely see troops patrolling the town, much like they did during the first intifada a decade ago. Commanders have already requested riot-dispersing equipment, military sources said. The take-over of the town was completed without a shot.
"The Palestinians understood that they didn't have a chance against us in this kind of combat and they preferred to concede," said Col. Ilan Paz, commander of the Binyamin Brigade. "But every time [we enter], we encourage their motivation to wage terror attacks against us."
There were also intensified attacks in the Gaza Strip over the weekend. At least 15 Palestinians were rounded up in the Kissufim corridor, including eight suspected fugitives wanted for questioning by the Shin Bet, the army said.
Palestinian security officials told AP that a 14-year-old Palestinian boy was killed and seven were wounded when troops blew up an empty building in the Gaza Strip, which the army said was a bomb factory.A 10-year-old Palestinian boy was also reportedly killed when troops opened fire at Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip at a location the IDF said was used to fire on soldiers guarding Netzarim.
In Halhoul village near Hebron, security forces arrested five Palestinian policemen, driving them off in an armored personnel carrier, and confiscated files and documents.
The army said it apprehended one suspected fugitive in Bethlehem and two at a roadblock south of Kalkilya last night.
News agencies contributed to this report.
