A high ranking Israeli general will direct the nation’s war against terrorists from the Prime Minister’s Office, it was indicated today. That is believed to be the nature of the assignment given Res. Gen. Rehavim Zeevi whose appointment as special advisor to Premier Yitzhak Rabin was approved today by the Cabinet.
The official communique announcing his appointment said only that he would advise the Premier in certain spheres. But his primary task will be to coordinate the battle against terrorists whose activities have increased in recent weeks, Cabinet sources said.
Zeevi, known to his friends as “Gandhi.” was formerly Commander of the Central Front and later held a top post at General Headquarters. He has a record of effective action against terrorists and has always managed to capture some alive. Experience has shown that captured terrorists invariably yield information valuable in forestalling later terrorist acts.
TERRORIST WAVE DEFINITELY ORGANIZED
The need for a special advisor on terrorism to the Prime Minister has been long felt. Former Premier Golda Meir relied on Army Intelligence Chief Gen. Aharon Yariv for that purpose. Yariv, who is now Information Minister in Rabin’s Cabinet, said in a radio interview today that the recent wave of terror could definitely be regarded as an organized wave, timed to coincide with the Palestine liberation Organization’s drive for observer status at the UN General Assembly. The increase of terrorist activity this month also has been attributed to Israel’s policy of permitting summer visits by Arabs from neighboring countries and allowing Arabs in Israeli territory to visit Arab states.
In his radio interview, Yariv praised the alertness of the public in thwarting terrorist acts and sabotage and urged continued caution. Yariv said terrorist groups were apparently trying to penetrate Israel from Jordan without the approval of Jordanian authorities. He said there was evidence in fact that Jordan was trying to stop the terrorists and he was confident that they would be able to. Israel, for its part, is capable of defending itself from the current wave of terror, Yariv said.
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