Gaza-Bethlehem First: Is Anything Different This Time?

- Herb Keinon Last August, then defense minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer negotiated a Bethlehem-Gaza first plan and the IDF did indeed redeploy, but Kassam rockets from the Gaza Strip continued to fall, Bethlehem turned into a city of refuge, and the terrorist attacks continued unabated. According to the optimists, a new PA government, the intense U.S. involvement, and a new regional reality after the Iraqi war are all elements that did not exist last year. Yet without taking control of the terrorist organizations, without disarming and dismantling them, the PA won't be able to take effective security control over the areas. And without doing this, it is just a matter of time until the attacks will continue and Israel will, once again, be forced to take security matters back into its own hands. (Jerusalem Post)


2003-06-26 00:00:00

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