Israel’s war on Palestinian terrorism is having mixed results, according to Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer.
On Sunday, Ben-Eliezer told the Cabinet that Israel’s new policy of demolishing the homes of terrorists is beginning to have a deterrent effect.
Ben-Eliezer told Cabinet minister that he had seen reports of Palestinian parents attempting to stop their children from carrying out terrorist attacks out of fear their homes would be demolished.
Ben-Eliezer said that during the past week, Israeli forces had arrested 25 suspected terrorists. During the same period, Israel had demolished the homes of 17 terrorists, he added.
Just the same, he said, 14 Israelis were killed and 90 wounded by Palestinian terrorists in the past week.
The night before the Cabinet meeting, an Israeli woman was killed and her husband moderately wounded in a terrorist infiltration of a West Bank settlement.
The terrorist opened fire on residents of Moshav Mekhora in the northern West Bank after cutting through the settlement’s electronic security fence.
The two children of Yafit Herenstein, 31, and her husband, Arno, were unharmed.
In another attack, a Palestinian gunman opened fire Sunday on a group of Israeli road workers near the Jewish settlement of Dugit in northern Gaza.
One Israeli was shot at least five times in the arms and legs, but was reported in stable condition.
Israeli soldiers chased the gunman who ran into a house in the nearby Palestinian area of Beit Lahiya, the army said. The gunman was killed in an exchange of fire with the soldiers.
The gunman was a member of Hamas who left behind a video saying the ambush was revenge for the recent killing of Hamas leader Salah Shehada.
The terror was punctuated by angry exchanges by the Israeli and Palestinian leaders.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Cabinet that he did not believe Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat’s government would take action to halt Palestinian terror attacks.
“Arafat is the head of terrorism, and no one is counting on him,” Sharon said.
Last week, Sharon called the Palestinian Authority a “murderous gang” that should be removed from power.
In an Aug. 8 speech to a graduating class at Israel’s Defense College, Sharon said, “This gang does not want peace with Israel. The only way to peace is to remove this murderous gang from its political position.”
His comments came as a Palestinian delegation was in Washington for discussions with senior Bush administration officials on stabilizing the region and reforming the Palestinian security forces.
Palestinian Authority Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman said Sharon was trying to interfere with the visit of the high-ranking Palestinian delegation to Washington.
On Sunday, Arafat had a few choice words about Sharon’s government.
“This government is looking only for more escalation for its military plans. They are not looking to achieve peace,” Arafat said.
Last week, Ben-Eliezer met with Palestinian officials and presented what has come to be known as the “Gaza First” plan.
Under the plan, Israeli soldiers would withdraw from parts of Gaza and the West Bank city of Bethlehem in exchange for Palestinian guarantees that no attacks would be launched from these areas. Further withdrawals would take place if peace holds in these first areas.
On Sunday, Sharon said the positive reaction from some Palestinian officials to the plan was “a trick.”
As Israeli and Palestinian officials traded barbs, Ben-Eliezer came under fire from a group of former Israeli security officials who called on him to keep his pledge to dismantle illegal settler enclaves.
In a letter to Israel’s defense minister, former officials from the army, police and Shin Bet security service accused Ben-Eliezer of manipulating the situation to serve his own interests within the Labor Party.
“You cannot send us and our sons to protect lawbreakers,” the letter said, according to Israel Radio.
Those signing the letter included former Police Commissioner Alik Ron and Brig. Gens. Dov Tamari and Giora Inbar, the report said.
In June, Ben-Eliezer said he intended to uproot some 20 unauthorized settler outposts. Several were subsequently taken down.
According to some reports, some of the enclaves were uninhabited and were taken down by settler leaders in the hope of getting government approval for other outposts.
According to Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, some 50 new settlement sites were established without government approval since Sharon came to power in February 2001.
Along with the letter to Ben-Eliezer, a report compiled recently by security officials said the government should force settlers in Hebron to comply with the law.
The report claimed that settlers are acting freely and methodically to “establish facts on the ground” in the West Bank city, the Israeli daily Ha’aretz reported.
It also said settlers are evicting Palestinians from their homes in order to enlarge Jewish holdings in the area. Moreover, settlers are increasing the number of assaults on Palestinians in Hebron, according to the report.
The paper quoted a security source as saying that the problem is not limited to a small minority, but reflects a general approach in the community.
A spokesman for the Hebron community said the structures were Jewish-owned and had been taken over by Palestinians in order to carry out attacks against Israelis.
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