(Ha'aretz) Ze'ev Schiff - The most immediate security problems facing Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are the war on Palestinian terror, including Kassam rocket launches, and the threat of al-Qaeda terror. The immediate worry is that Palestinian terrorist organizations may decide to give Israel's new leadership a "test of strength." Precisely because of the anarchy in the PA, they can take extreme steps that would escalate the conflict. Olmert must be alert to any attempts by al-Qaeda to penetrate Lebanon and use it as a base for attacking Israel or Israelis. Al-Qaeda has already penetrated Sinai and Jordan, and it is clear that the organization has also recently penetrated Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, where it has joined forces with the extremist Palestinians who recently launched Katyushas at Kiryat Shmona and Shlomi.
2006-01-06 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive