The former head of Israel’s military said Mahmoud Abbas wants to keep terrorist elements strong as a political tool. Speaking Friday to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya’alon said he believes Israel is vulnerable to attacks from the Gaza Strip, and that Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, is not willing to take steps toward peace. Ya’alon also said he didn’t expect Syrian President Bashar Assad to last in power.
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