Israeli Security Identifies West Bank As Newest Threat

The story comes from The Investigative Project on Terrorism.

Israeli Security Sees Rising West Bank Salafi-Jihadi Threat


At a time when threats from organized Palestinian terrorism are being effectively contained in the West Bank, Israeli security forces are now on the lookout for a new and troublesome phenomenon: The rise of al-Qaida-inspired Salafi-jihadi terrorist cells.

The heightened state of alert to this new threat took effect last month, when an unprecedented security incident took place.

A Salafi-jihadi cell, armed with guns and explosives, set out from the Hebron area to carry out a series of attacks. The first intended targets were IDF soldiers; and later, the cell planned to strike targets affiliated with the Palestinian Authority – both equally worthy of attack according to the worldview of Salafi-jihadis. According to this view, any state or system of government that isn't based on a literal interpretation of Islamic law, and which is not part of a caliphate state, is completely illegitimate.

The cell was under close surveillance by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). Israel's elite Counter-Terrorism Unit moved in to intercept cell members after they got into a vehicle, armed with guns and bombs, to carry out their jihad mission.

The unit surprised the terrorists as they drove in the village of Yatta, near Hebron, on the evening of Nov. 26. Security forces shot at the tires of the suspects' vehicle, and the Palestinian gunmen fired back, leading to a fire fight that ended with the deaths of the two terrorists.

Soon after, Counter-Terrorism Unit members caught up with a third member of the cell at a hideout in Yatta, and after a brief exchange of fire, shot him dead. Five additional Palestinians were arrested on suspicion of being accomplices.

It was the first time that the Israeli defense establishment had engaged armed Salafi-jihadis in the West Bank. Although the attack was thwarted, it still set off a warning bell.

According to senior security officials, the cell's first intended step was to kidnap IDF soldiers and to carry out shooting and bomb attacks on Israelis.

Unlike traditional Palestinian terrorist threats, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Tanzim, Salafi-jihadists are not part of a wider network, and do not enjoy the benefits of a wider terrorism infrastructure.

Rather, Israeli intelligence sources say, the movement is first and foremost an ideology which appears to be gaining some ground, thanks to a power vacuum in the West Bank.

With Hamas in Gaza trying to survive regional isolation and struggling with its efforts to project its influence on to the West Bank, and with Fatah busy with its own concerns for its future survival, Salafi-jihadis are able to spread their influence, and gain more ground at the expense of traditional Palestinian political factions.

Proponents of Salafi-jihadism in the West Bank are being radicalized by the Internet. The rise of global jihadi movements in the wider Middle East region is also a factor enabling pro-al-Qaida entities to take root and spread their poisonous ideas.

They reject all forms of state authority not ruled according to fundamentalist interpretation of Islamic law, and call for the establishment of a single caliphate government.

Hence, the Palestinian Authority finds itself threatened by this ideology no less than Israel, and may soon feel compelled to send its own security forces to confront the movement in its areas of jurisdiction.

In the West Bank, Salafi-jihadis have begun holding social and religious activities.

Defense sources in Israel say that the Salafi-jihad ideology is gaining some traction, and although still small in scale, the potential exists for the danger to grow. The sources say that the November incident sparked concerns about future copy-cat attackers.

One security source expressed hope that Israel's swift and firm response to the threat will help deter others from trying to imitate the ill-fated terrorists.

The cell that was taken out in November was local, making it harder to detect for Israeli intelligence. But the incident is proof that localized threats do leave a detectable signature for intelligence agencies.

Currently, an unknown number of Palestinians subscribe to these radical ideas, though, with the exception of the cell broken up last month, they have not become violent – yet.

It is impossible to separate the appearance of this radical movement from ongoing regional turmoil.

According to a recent study released by the Tel Aviv-based Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, dozens of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip have traveled to Syria to fight with Salafi-jihadi organizations.

Reuven Erlich, who heads the center, told the Investigative Project on Terrorism that, so far, only a few volunteers from the West Bank have gone to fight in Syria.

But this number could rise. Dozens of Palestinians from Jordan and Lebanon have joined groups like the al-Qaida tied Jabhat Al-Nusra. The number seems small now, but those who go to Syria and return could set up new cells, and further spread the Salafi-jihadi ideology.

It is up to Israel's intelligence services and counter-terrorism units to ensure that al-Qaida's call for mayhem and murder in the name of a caliphate does not take root in the West Bank.

Another Israeli soldier killed in West Bank

This is no coincidence.  Time for the Israelis to start gutting the West Bank, perhaps even putting a target on the back of Abbas.

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

Another Israeli soldier killed in West Bank


A Palestinian sniper shot and killed an Israeli soldier, Sergeant Gabriel Koby, 20, in the city of Hebron this evening. Koby, of Tirat Carmel, was said to be on patrol near the Cave of the Patriarchs when he was struck in the neck. It is the second killing of an Israeli soldier in two days.

"The IDF is currently searching the area for the perpetrators. Movement in the immediate Hebron vicinity is temporarily restricted in order to prevent the perpetrators from fleeing the city," the Israel Defense Forces stated.

Video of the immediate aftermath seen by The Long War Journal shows over a dozen IDF soldiers rushing to aid Koby, who convulses at moments. Efforts were made to save the soldier by transporting him to a hospital in the Jerusalem area, but he succumbed to his wounds.

"The soldier came essentially lifeless - with a pulse but no blood pressure. We performed extensive resuscitation efforts but his injuries were too severe," a doctor at Shaare Zedek Hospital said.

In a statement on the incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned: "Those who try to displace us from the city of our fathers [Hebron] will achieve only the opposite. With one hand we will fight terror and with the other we'll strengthen settlement."

Also today, a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip reportedly landed in southern Israel.

The killing of Gabriel Koby comes a day after Israeli authorities announced that an IDF soldier had been abducted and murdered by Palestinians in the West Bank. The soldier, Tomer Hazan, of Bat Yam, was lured by a coworker, Nidal Amar, to the Bayt Amin area in the West Bank, where he was killed. Amar had hoped to use Hazan's body to bargain for the release of one of his brothers, Nur al Adin Amar, who has been imprisoned since 2003 for involvement in terror-related activities as part of Fatah's Tanzim group.

In 2012, no Israelis were killed in terror attacks in the West Bank.

Israeli soldier murdered by Palestinian

Israeli soldiers carry the body of Tomer Hazan killed in the north of the occupied West Bank to a waiting helicopter Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Not good.  Not good at all.

The story is from The Telegraph.

Israeli soldier murdered by Palestinian


An Israeli soldier has been found dead after being murdered by a Palestinian acquaintance in a development likely to further dampen the prospects for ongoing peace talks, Israel's armed forces said.

Tomer Hazan, 20, was discovered at the bottom of a well in the West Bank village of Sanriya hours after his family reported him missing late on Friday, triggering a major search operation by the army, police and Shin Bet, Israel's domestic security service.

A Palestinian man, named as Nadal Amar, 42, from Beit Amin, a nearby town, was said to have confessed to the crime and told police that he planned to trade the soldier's body to win the release of his brother, Nur al-Adin Amar, a member of the Palestinian Fatah faction who has been in jailed since 2003 for militant activity.

Investigators arrested Amar along with another brother after their inquiries led them to Beit Amin.

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the soldier and the suspect had previously worked together in a restaurant in the Israeli city of Bat Yam The IDF said Amar had picked up the soldier in a taxi on Friday morning and that the pair had then been driven to Sha'arei Tikva, a Jewish settlement near Beit Amin.

It is not clear why Hazan agreed to accompany Amar.

After his arrest, Amar led the investigating team to the seven foot well where he had hid the body, the IDF said.

Danny Danon, Israel's deputy defence minister, put the blame for the murder on Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority.

"This brutal murder is the result of ongoing incitement by the Palestinian leadership," Mr Danon said. "Abbas gives a motivation for appalling acts such as this, when he continues to pay bonus money to murderers in prisons."

New Nightmare For Israel: Hamas Is Spreading To the West Bank

From Family Security Matters.

Hamas in Gaza Sending Out Tentacles to the West Bank


In March, a Palestinian resident of the West Bank appeared before an Israeli military court and was charged with attempting to set up a Hamas terrorism cell, after being recruited for the mission by Hamas in Gaza.

Ahmed Fahida, a 26-year-old attorney from a village near Ramallah, allegedly worked under the instruction of Hamas's military wing in Gaza, the Izzadin Al-Qassam Brigades, following directives he received via Facebook and emails, to set up a terrorism cell that would fire rockets and kidnap and kill a soldier.

This isn't the only case of its kind - a number of similar cases are being processed through military courts. These are signs that the Hamas regime in Gaza is stepping up efforts to create active cells in the Fatah-ruled West Bank.

Hamas's West Bank terrorism infrastructure has not recovered after being devastated by waves of Israeli counter-terror operations launched a decade ago, and the organization's leadership would like to change that.

Fahida's charge sheet provides a glimpse into how this is being done. According to the indictment, Fahida made Facebook contact last year with a Gazan Hamas operative by the name of Ahmed Uda, who proceeded to recruit him, and put him in touch with a third man, nicknamed Abu Ibrahim, also from Gaza.

Ibrahim and Fahida allegedly exchanged several emails, through which Fahida learned how to evade Israeli intelligence, and how to create explosive devices. Later, the charge sheet states, Fahida recruited a second West Bank resident, and the two learned how to create and fire rockets. They also planned to kidnap and murder an Israeli soldier.

The kidnap plot, according to the indictment, involved burying the soldier's body and presenting his personal items in order to deceive Israel that he was still alive, allowing for negotiations for the release of Palestinian security prisoners.

After months of preparations, "the defendant received two messages from Abu Ibrahim, telling him to begin carrying out the terrorist attacks," the charge sheet said.

Several factors are driving Hamas's efforts to step up terrorism launched from the West Bank. Hamas would like to 'cash in' on recent developments that boosted its credibility in the court of Palestinian public opinion at Fatah's expense. These events include Hamas's conflict with Israel last year, and its success in securing the release of 1,200 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. Additionally, it is unable to directly launch attacks from Gaza now due to its commitment to the truce with Israel.

Ultimately, Hamas's aim is to govern the West Bank in Fatah's place and convert it into an Islamist emirate and a hornet's nest of jihadi activity, just as it is doing in Gaza.

Hamas is able to fund its terrorist infrastructure in Gaza from a combination of sources, including donations from foreign governments, fundraising programs disguised as social assistance charities in the Palestinian territories, the Arab world, and the West, and from taxes levied on Gazan businesses and residents.

Last year, Israeli President Shimon Peres named Turkey as a sponsor of Hamas terrorism, saying that Ankara was sending hundreds of millions of dollars. Qatar in recent months gave Hamas $400 million for public works in Gaza. With no independent oversight, it is impossible to know how much of that cash might be siphoned off to terrorism. Gaza received a total of $1 billion in international aid in 2012, according to defense sources.

Although Iran significantly cut its funding since 2011, to express its displeasure at Hamas's backing of the Syrian uprising against the Assad regime, Iran continues to supply Hamas with rockets.

Divided Leadership

Since 2007, when Hamas gunmen stormed Fatah positions in the Gaza Strip and seized it in a violent coup, two de facto Palestinian entities have evolved.

In Gaza, Hamas, which is a Palestinian branch of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood movement, created an Islamist-jihadi enclave.

It transformed itself from a terror organization to a radical regime. It amassed thousands of rockets, set up a domestic security force, and institutionalized its terrorism and guerilla warfare wing, known as the Izzadin Al-Qassam Brigades.

Meanwhile, the West Bank continues to be ruled by the government and security forces of the secular nationalist Fatah movement, based in Ramallah.

Despite the geographical disconnect between the two territories, Hamas in Gaza has been busy attempting to revitalize its terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank. These efforts started after Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, but have increased notably over the past year, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

Simultaneously, the West Bank has experienced a marked increase in violent disturbances and attacks, some of which have been organized by paramilitary terror outfits affiliated with Fatah. The Israel Security Agency (ISA - the domestic intelligence body) recently released data on violent incidents in November and December, providing a good case study of the upsurge in violence.

There were 111 violent attacks in December, including 69 fire bombings in the West Bank and 30 in east Jerusalem, three hand grenade attacks, and two gun attacks.

There were 166 attacks in the West Bank and east Jerusalem in November, including two stabbings, three via improvised explosive devices, a hand grenade attack, and 156 fire bombings. November and December represent a steep rise in violence compared to October, in which 70 incidents were recorded.

The increased rate of violence has continued in 2013, with 139 incidents in February, 125 violent attacks in March, and 139 in April, according to the Israel Security Agency.

Hamas is watching this increase in West Bank violence, and recognizes an opportunity to once again take a lead role in terrorism.

Its terrorism cells once thrived in West Bank cities such as Jenin, Qalqiliya, and Hebron, until they were extinguished in 2002, when Israel launched Operation Defensive Shield in response to a murderous wave of suicide bombings.

Yet the IDF has noted an increase of recruitment efforts during the past year involving senior Hamas operatives in Gaza reaching out to Palestinians in the West Bank.

These have been accompanied by cash transfers between the two territories (enabling newly recruited terrorists to purchase explosives and firearms), and instructions on training and target selection. As the Fahida case shows, the communications occur via phone calls, emails, and Skype. Hamas asks the squads to report to them when they are ready to act, and provides them with a list of targets.

The IDF and the Israel Security Agency have observed more efforts by Hamas to activate the cells and send them on jihad missions, including shootings, suicide bombings, and even the launching of rockets at Israel from the West Bank.

So far, Israel has been able to effectively block these efforts, thanks to the presence of the IDF in the West Bank, a wealth of Israeli intelligence capabilities there, and raids on Hamas members by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority security forces.

On a regular basis, Israeli soldiers, acting on intelligence, arrest members of budding Hamas cells, seize explosives and terrorist finances, and prevent the murder of Israelis. There have been five known raids on Hamas members so far this year.

One defense source described these continuous actions as "mowing the lawn," meaning that although the counter-terrorism raids are effective, it will only be a matter of time before they have to be launched again.

Many of Hamas's West Bank terror cell efforts are being orchestrated by Gaza's interior minister, Fathi Hammad, a wealthy man who is deeply dedicated to the cause of jihad and the cult of martyrdom.

In 2008, as thousands of Palestinian rockets rained down on southern Israel, Hammad told Hamas's al-Aqsa TV: "For the Palestinian people, death has become an industry, at which women excel, and so do all the people living on this land... this is why they have formed human shields of the women, the children, the elderly, and the mujahedeen (holy fighters), in order to challenge the Zionist bombing machine. It is as if they were saying to the Zionist enemy: 'We desire death like you desire life.'"

Troubling Increase in Plots

Hammad, as head of Gaza's domestic security forces, has enforced Hamas's ban on rocket fire on southern Israel, while promoting terrorism in the West Bank.

Recent examples of Israeli raids that prevented the start of a new West Bank-based Hamas terrorism campaign include:

o April 7: The Israel Security Agency and Jerusalem District Police arrest a Hamas terrorist cell in east Jerusalem, and charge its members with hurling firebombs at Israeli security forces after Friday prayers at the Temple Mount. The suspects have been charged with conspiracy to attack security forces, manufacturing firebombs, and assaulting police officers with firebombs.

o March 13: The Israel Security Agency announces the arrest of a Hamas cell based in the villages of Ras Karkar and Siluad, in the Ramallah Directorate of the West Bank. The cell was ordered by handlers in Gaza to create and fire rockets at Israel, kidnap and murder an Israeli soldier, and prepare suicide bombings. The terrorists received concrete instructions to kidnap a soldier, present his ID and cell phone for negotiations to secure the release Palestinian prisoners, and then kill and bury him at a hideout, according to the ISA. Prior to their arrest, the terrorists sent a message to Gaza saying they were ready to act within days. Security services have linked this cell directly to Hammad, the Hamas interior minister.

o March 4: Israeli security forces uncover a Hamas terror cell in Hebron that was planning attacks on Israeli targets. According to the investigation, the suspects plotted to carry out a combined explosives and shooting attack on an IDF position in the Hebron area.

o February 4: The IDF arrests 23 Hamas members, including three Hamas legislators, in West Bank cities. These raids came days after the Palestinian Authority arrested several Hamas operatives, including some who had just been released from Israeli prisons. The IDF declined to provide a reason for these specific arrests.

In the background, Hamas is trying to revitalize its civilian component in the West Bank by mobilizing student activists at Palestinian universities, pushing them to get involved in student elections, and attempting to build medical clinics and summer camps that indoctrinate children with its ideology. The most influential university is Bir Zeit, where Hamas students held a high profile march in December (an unusual event), and came in second 2012 student elections.

These actions, too, are being closely monitored by Israel.

One defense source has expressed concern that recent events, such as Hamas's eight-day confrontation with Israel in November, and the Schalit prisoner exchange swap between Israel and Hamas, which saw over 1,200 Palestinian prisoners released in 2011, are enabling Hamas to win over more hearts and minds in the West Bank.

The prisoner exchange has acted as a catalyst for soldier kidnapping attempts. According to the Israel Security Agency, 33 such attempts have been stopped this year alone - a sharp increase from 2012, which saw 24 such attempts.

A report in the Hebrew daily Yedioth Ahronoth cited officers in the IDF who warned that Hamas has stepped up kidnapping attempts to secure further releases of Palestinian security prisoners.

On a broader regional level, the Muslim Brotherhood's elevation to power in Cairo has raised the hopes of its ideological twin in Hamas of gaining regional support.

Although initial hopes for closer cooperation with Egypt appear dashed, Hamas still believes that in the long term, its strategic standing has been significantly boosted by the rise of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, as well as Turkey's strong support for Hamas.

Back in the Palestinian territories, Fatah and Hamas continue to compete for support.

The most recent Palestinian poll, published on April 1, showed that PA President Mahmoud Abbas would win 52 percent of the vote in a future election, while Hamas Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh would win 41 percent. This marks a drop in Hamas's popularity when compared to the results of a poll carried out in January, shortly after the Israel-Hamas conflict. Then, 44 percent of Palestinians supported Haniyeh, and 45 percent supported Abbas. There are several, complex factors behind the changing popularity of Hamas (and Fatah) among Palestinians, but the recent drop in Hamas's standing can be linked to the time that has elapsed since the last conflict with Israel, and the subsequent focus by Palestinians on economic and political issues.

As it pursues reconciliation talks with the Palestinian Authority - another vehicle to achieve its West Bank take-over objective - Hamas will continue to reach out from Gaza to the West Bank to reestablish its terrorist and civilian-political infrastructure.

IDF: Hamas trying to activate W. Bank sleeper cells

The story comes from The Jerusalem Post.

IDF: Hamas trying to activate W. Bank sleeper cells


Hamas in Gaza is attempting to reactivate its sleeper cells in the West Bank, the IDF warned last week.

Hamas's terrorist infrastructure was destroyed in West Bank cities by the IDF following Operation Defensive Shield in 2002 and subsequent counter-terrorism efforts but the organization is seeking to gradually regroup in the area.

Its efforts are being thwarted successfully by the IDF and the Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency], which maintain a tight grip on intelligence and security in the area.

Meanwhile, in Gaza, Hamas is continuing to convert its terrorist cells into an organized military entity, said Maj. Guy Aviad, an expert on Hamas and head of the instruction department at the IDF General Staff's History Department.

"Hamas is building... regional brigades," Aviad said. The terror regime is also exploiting breaks in between rounds of fighting to better hide its rockets in underground bunkers, continued Aviad, who published a book with the Defense Ministry titled The Hamas Lexicon.

Aviad, who is due to release an updated edition of his book, noted that Iran decreased its financial support for Hamas, and its arms shipments, following Hamas's support for Sunni Syrian rebels. As a result, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Iran's closest proxy in the Strip, is receiving more Iranian cash and arms than Hamas, he added.

Aviad said Iran first began sponsoring Hamas when 415 of its members were exiled to Lebanon in 1992, and began receiving training from Hezbollah. Between 2004 and 2011, Iran was Hamas's main sponsor, Aviad added, offering Hamas joint training courses with Hezbollah, large-scale arms shipments and generous financial backing.

Meanwhile, last week, OC Central Command, Maj.-Gen. Nitzan Alon, held a surprise drill for the Binyamin Regional Brigade in the West Bank, held after a marked increase was noted in the number of violent disturbances in the area.

Alon called on his forces to increase awareness at all levels, from commanders to the individual soldiers in light of the rise in violent incidents.

In the drill, Artillery Corps soldiers from the Reshef Battalion had to deal with rioting, as well as with the scenario of 'gunmen' planted within the mobs and firing on soldiers. The Artillery Corps soldiers were backed by Border Police and civilian police units.

"Cooperation is the key word. We joined forces with the police, Border Police, IDF observation posts, and others," said Col. Yossi Pinto, commander of the Binyamin Regional Brigade.

The Reshef Battalion had only recently returned to the West Bank from the Gaza border, after taking part in Operation Pillar of Defense. It fired more than 250 shells at terror targets in Gaza during the conflict with Hamas.

Just Great...Brand New Islamic Terror Group Forms On West Bank, Called "Brigades of Osama bin Laden"

Oh yeah, just what the world needs is ANOTHER islamic terror group - as if the 287 other ones don't kill and maim enough innocent people right now...oh no, apparently a bunch of misfits on the West Bank, staring Israel in the eye, have decided to glorify the piece of shit, Osama bin Laden, and have started a new terror group.

I'm kind of hoping the Israelis get word of their inaugural meeting and send a few F-16's in for a real nice "howdy."

The story comes from The Long War Journal.

'Brigades of Osama bin Laden' forms in the West Bank


A new jihadist group calling itself the Brigades of Osama bin Laden has announced its formation, in a statement that was recently released on terrorist-linked web forums.

The Brigades of Osama bin Laden issued a statement, which was released on Aug. 10 by the Al Minbar Media Foundation and subsequently published on its Internet forum, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The statement was subsequently "posted on
other jihadist forums such as Ansar al Mujahideen," but then "deleted by forum
administrators," SITE noted.

"We give you tidings, our people in the beloved West Bank, just as we give tidings to all the people of tawhid [monotheism] all over the world, of the declaration of the formation of the Brigades of Osama bin Laden in the bank of [monotheism], the West Bank," the new jihadist group said, according to SITE.

The Brigades of Osama bin Laden said its focus is on Jerusalem and it was formed to "support the one religion [Islam] under the pure banner of righteousness that is not besmirched by any factional or sectarian or secular mark." It did not overtly threaten to attack Israel or the Palestinian Authority, which runs the West Bank.

"What pushed us to go through with this matter was your love and the love of Jerusalem, and before it, the reason to raise Allah's word, which has been absent from Jerusalem under polytheistic and secular shrines," the statement said.

The statement was signed "Your brothers in the Brigades of Osama bin Laden, may Allah have mercy on him." Bin Laden was al Qaeda's founder and emir who was killed during a US special operations raid on his hideout in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

The Brigades of Osama bin Laden is the latest jihadist group to form in the Palestinian Territories, and the first to announce its formation in the West Bank. Six other jihadist groups -- the Jaish al Islam, Jund Ansar Allah, Jaish al Ummah, Jaish al Mu'minun, Tawhid and Jihad Group in Jerusalem, and Masada al Mujahideen -- have formed over the past several years in Gaza. These groups have clashed with Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated terror group that rules Gaza and is supported by Iran and Syria. [For more information on the jihadist groups in Gaza, see LWJ report, Hamas frees al Qaeda-linked jihadist leader in Gaza.]

Across the border in the Egyptian Sinai, four jihadist groups -- al Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula and its military arm, Ansar al Jihad, the Mujahideen Shura Council, and Jund al Sharia -- have all emerged since the Arab Spring. The terror groups have conducted attacks against Egyptian forces and a pipeline transporting natural gas to Israel. Just last week, one of these groups, likely with the help of one of the Gaza-based jihadist groups, attacked an Egyptian military base, killed 16 soldiers and seized two armored personnel carriers, and then attacked the Israeli border. One of the two APCs made it one mile inside Israeli territory before being destroyed by the Israeli Air Force [see LWJ report, 'Global jihadists' overrun Egyptian Army outpost on Israeli border].

Attacks and Ambushes Erupt In West Bank and Gaza, 1 IDF Soldier Killed

The minions of Satan who inhabit Palestine's West Bank and Gaza have stepped up their attacks with both the Friday night ambush by terrorists in Gaza that killed one IDF soldier and today where a suicide bomber tried to attack an Israeli checkpoint in Jenin on the West Bank.

From the article at DEBKA:

Since Friday night, Jan. 7 - when Israeli paratrooper, Sgt. Nadav Rutenberg, 20, from Moshav Ramot Hashavim, died and four others were injured during an ambush from the Gaza Strip - Palestinian terrorists have been on the offensive - both in Gaza and the West Bank, debkafile's military sources report.

Saturday, a would-be suicide bomber from Jenin armed with two pipe bombs shouting Allah is Great! jumped out of a taxi at the Israeli checkpoint at Beqaot in the northern Jordanian Valley and tried to rush the soldiers. They called him to stop and shot him when he kept going. The other passengers fled.

It was the first attack by a Jenin inhabitant in the four years of relative peace prevailing on the West Bank since Israel beat back the Palestinian uprising.

Friday, another Palestinian was shot on the West Bank; he was running at an Israeli roadblock with what looked like a bottle bomb.

Thursday, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas ordered the release of five Palestinian Hamas terrorists responsible for murdering four Israeli civilians on a road near Bet Haggai on Aug. 31, 2010.

Abbas had pledged to keep captured terrorists behind bars after Israel handed Palestinian Authority responsibility for security in West Bank cities. However, for the sake of a gesture to please the Emir of Qatar, the Palestinian leader reverted to the infamous revolving door policy the PA had exercised in former years.

An Israeli squad was sent out to Hebron forthwith to re-arrest the Hamas killers. A 66-year old man was shot by mistake and the wanted men got away.

Saturday saw a resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip front: A volley of four mortar shells hit foreign laborers' lodgings at a kibbutz in the Shear Hanegev district. Three of them were hurt, one seriously, and were evacuated to hospital.

You know, there's one thing that we in America just simply cannot relate to in regards to the Israelis - we simply cannot fathom that the threat of terror and attack and ambush is a daily occurrence. Every single day in Israel there is a threat of death by jihadi. Think about that for a minute. Think about your daily routing every day here in America and then think about how it would feel knowing at any moment you might be confronted with death at the hands of an islamic terrorist.

Unfortunately for us in America, it's becoming easier to fathom this as we are starting to see more terror attacks and plots here than ever but we aren't even close to the onslaught that Israel has endured for years.

As for the IDF at the checkpoints and borders - I'm all in favor of them adopting a new ROE of shoot first then ask questions.

Palestinian violence surges on W. Bank, Gaza. Israeli soldier killed


Since Friday night, Jan. 7 - when Israeli paratrooper, Sgt. Nadav Rutenberg, 20, from Moshav Ramot Hashavim, died and four others were injured during an ambush from the Gaza Strip - Palestinian terrorists have been on the offensive - both in Gaza and the West Bank, debkafile's military sources report.

Saturday, a would-be suicide bomber from Jenin armed with two pipe bombs shouting Allah is Great! jumped out of a taxi at the Israeli checkpoint at Beqaot in the northern Jordanian Valley and tried to rush the soldiers. They called him to stop and shot him when he kept going. The other passengers fled.

It was the first attack by a Jenin inhabitant in the four years of relative peace prevailing on the West Bank since Israel beat back the Palestinian uprising.

Friday, another Palestinian was shot on the West Bank; he was running at an Israeli roadblock with what looked like a bottle bomb.

Thursday, Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas ordered the release of five Palestinian Hamas terrorists responsible for murdering four Israeli civilians on a road near Bet Haggai on Aug. 31, 2010.

Abbas had pledged to keep captured terrorists behind bars after Israel handed Palestinian Authority responsibility for security in West Bank cities. However, for the sake of a gesture to please the Emir of Qatar, the Palestinian leader reverted to the infamous revolving door policy the PA had exercised in former years.

An Israeli squad was sent out to Hebron forthwith to re-arrest the Hamas killers. A 66-year old man was shot by mistake and the wanted men got away.

Saturday saw a resumption of attacks on the Gaza Strip front: A volley of four mortar shells hit foreign laborers' lodgings at a kibbutz in the Shear Hanegev district. Three of them were hurt, one seriously, and were evacuated to hospital.

debkafile's military sources report that Hamas and Jihad Islami have improved the aim of their mortars with the help of recently-delivered Iranian devices. They are now able to achieve more direct hits instead of their usual hit-or-miss performance.
Saturday, Palestinian organizations in Gaza let loose with mortars apparently signaling that further escalation lay ahead should Israel retaliate for the Gaza ambush of Friday night, in which Sgt. Rutenberg was killed.
Responding to reports that Palestinians were again laying explosive devices on the border fence, they ran into an ambush of heavy automatic, mortar and anti-tank rocket fire from Palestinian positions. Tanks and assault helicopters had to be brought in to douse the attack.

As the firefight raged, a stray Israeli mortar shell hit the paratroops in mid-battle, killing the Israeli sergeant and injuring four members of his unit, one of them an officer who is in serious condition in hospital. Brig. Tal Russo, OC Southern Command has ordered an inquiry into the incident.

In recent weeks, Palestinian terrorist activity from the Gaza Strip has become increasingly bold, ranging from explosive devices planted on the border fence to missile and mortar fire on Israeli towns and military patrols.

debkafile's military sources report that Israel's responses have been too restrained and cautious to stem the escalation. Indeed, Hamas, Jihad Islami and the Islamist groups operating in Gaza under the al Qaeda-linked Jalalat umbrella have taken encouragement from Israel's military restraint and redoubled their assaults.

The Hizballah militiamen and Al Qaeda militants who fought in Iraq who have arrived in Gaza studied IDF responses and its mode of operation and decided to switch tactics. Friday night, instead of another attempt to plant explosive devices on the fence - like the many which ended in the Palestinian assailants' deaths - they set up an ambush.

Israeli Troops Kill West Bank Hamas Commander and His Lieutenant In Operation To Avenge Attacks

The Israelis, and specifically the IDF and Shin Bet, decided yesterday to move into Hebron and snuff out the Hamas leadership responsible for some of the latest attacks on Israeli citizens that have left the likes of Israeli pregnant women dead in drive by ambushes. And the IDF found their targets. And they killed them.

From the article at DEBKA:

Israel's manhunt for the Hamas terrorists responsible for the latest string of West Bank attacks ended Friday, Oct. 8 in a gun battle in Hebron and the deaths of Hamas' West Bank commander Nashat Al-Karmi and his lieutenant Mamoun Al-Natshe, thereby snapping Hamas' militant backbone in the territory and cutting short its drive to sabotage Israel-Palestinian talks with violence. debkafile's counter-terror sources report that the Hamas cell leader smuggled in from Syria for the drive-by attacks which killed four Israelis and injured two others, managed to escape. The pursuit for him continues.

The two were killed when Israeli troops backed by Shin Bet operatives, air cover and the police anti-terror squad closed in on three Hebron houses in which the wanted Hamas terrorists were holed up and refused to surrender. One of the houses was bulldozed and several occupants detained.

You can see from the article that the Israelis didn't exactly get all those they were looking for but the message has been sent and the escapee is probably going to spend the next ten years of his life looking over his shoulder and jumping at the slightest bump in the night.

Another behind the scenes aspect of this operation is revealed later in the article:

debkafile's sources stress that by wiping out Hamas' top West Bank command, Israel has also shown up as spurious Hamas' latest propaganda effort to demonstrate its superiority to Israel's Shin Bet and claim to have smashed Israel's covert networks in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas leaders were about to hold a news conference and lay out an array of covert gadgets, specially-rigged walkie-talkies and telephones, electronic bugs and surveillance gear, claiming they had been found in the possession of Shin Bet undercover agents. This campaign took several months to set up. It hit a high point Thursday, the day before Israel's Hebron operation, when the Egyptian Al Ahram ran a story describing how Hamas unmasked an Israeli agent who had penetrated top Hamas ranks and hoped to find the secret prison where Gilead Shalit, the Israeli soldier Hamas kidnapped in 2006 is held.

You know, Hamas can never be accused of being the brightest bulbs on the tree...and it's amazing that their leadership seems to have forgotten what Operation Cast Lead did to their terror organization but perhaps it's about that mark on the calendar where they need a more significant reminder. At the time of Operation Cast Lead, I was upset that the Israelis did not continue that operation for another month and simply eradicate Hamas from Gaza completely...now we are seeing signs that leaving even one Hamas can lead to a heavy price.

Israeli troops kill Hamas' West Bank commanders, hunt "Syrian" cell leader


Israel's manhunt for the Hamas terrorists responsible for the latest string of West Bank attacks ended Friday, Oct. 8 in a gun battle in Hebron and the deaths of Hamas' West Bank commander Nashat Al-Karmi and his lieutenant Mamoun Al-Natshe, thereby snapping Hamas' militant backbone in the territory and cutting short its drive to sabotage Israel-Palestinian talks with violence. debkafile's counter-terror sources report that the Hamas cell leader smuggled in from Syria for the drive-by attacks which killed four Israelis and injured two others, managed to escape. The pursuit for him continues.

The two were killed when Israeli troops backed by Shin Bet operatives, air cover and the police anti-terror squad closed in on three Hebron houses in which the wanted Hamas terrorists were holed up and refused to surrender. One of the houses was bulldozed and several occupants detained.
debkafile's counter-terror sources reveal: Nashat Al-Karmi, aged 34, was born in Hebron and lived there with his wife. He graduated from the local college with a degree in technological engineering. His first brush with Israeli troops occurred in 1999 when he was picked up in a counter-terror swoop and spent three years in jail. In 2004 he suffered a serious gunshot wound to the stomach and was confined to a wheelchair.

Exceptionally secretive, Al-Karmi escaped having his photo taken, never used a telephone or even a cell and preferred to go into terrorist action solo.

On Sept. 17, an Israeli unit raid on the Nur al-Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm, failed to discover Al-Karmi but killed another Hamas operative.
Our intelligence sources disclose that the Hamas terrorist showed his hand once too often this year in a shooting attack on two Israeli vehicles at the Omarim junction south of Hebron on Sept. 26, in which two Israelis were injured. The attack took place on the day Israel's settlement construction freeze expired. It was clearly the work of a lone shooter, Al-Karmi's most distinctive hallmark, and gave his Israeli pursuers a solid lead to the hand behind the latest outbreak of terrorist activity on the West Bank.

debkafile's sources stress that by wiping out Hamas' top West Bank command, Israel has also shown up as spurious Hamas' latest propaganda effort to demonstrate its superiority to Israel's Shin Bet and claim to have smashed Israel's covert networks in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas leaders were about to hold a news conference and lay out an array of covert gadgets, specially-rigged walkie-talkies and telephones, electronic bugs and surveillance gear, claiming they had been found in the possession of Shin Bet undercover agents. This campaign took several months to set up. It hit a high point Thursday, the day before Israel's Hebron operation, when the Egyptian Al Ahram ran a story describing how Hamas unmasked an Israeli agent who had penetrated top Hamas ranks and hoped to find the secret prison where Gilead Shalit, the Israeli soldier Hamas kidnapped in 2006 is held.

Al Ahram appended its own epilogue to the Hamas tale. The Shin Bet pulled its agent out of the Gaza Strip before Hamas security officials could lay hands on him, said the Cairo paper. Clearly, Egypt is not inclined to let Hamas get away with posing as masters of intelligence. While Hamas has vowed revenge for the Israeli operation in Hebron, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak congratulated the army and Shin Bet unit for their success in hunting down the terrorists who murdered Yitzhak and Talia Imus, Cochava Even-Haim and Avishi Schindler of Beit Haggai on the road near the Ben-Naim junction near Hebron on Aug. 31. A second attack left a couple seriously injured.

Islamic Jihad Vows To Resume Suicide Attacks On Israel From West Bank

Apparently, the anger from the Israelis turning a Hamas commander into a fine red mist has permeated over to the terror group, Islamic Jihad and they are announcing today a return to their suicide attacks upon Israel ... coming from the West Bank.

From the report over at the Jerusalem Post:

The Islamic Jihad organization said on Sunday that it has decided to resume suicide attacks against Israel from the West Bank.

The threat came in response to attacks launched by IAF planes on the Gaza Strip following the firing of rockets on Israel in the past few days.

"Suicide operations require places for training and preparing explosive belts," said Abu Ahmed, spokesman for the Al-Quds Battalions, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. "It's very difficult to do these things because of the policy of security coordination and the arrest of [would-be] suicide bombers."

Of course Israel will be concerned with these new announcements but let's be real here, Islamic Jihad didn't need any recent action on the part of Israel to have them decide to "renew" their suicide bombing efforts - they've been looking to do it all along, they just haven't been able to.

It's my guess that we will probably see a couple of attempts which will end up in disaster for the jihadis and prove the point that Islamic Jihad has since become a player in the area - their forces are down, their inspiration is fading and their support is minimal. Can they do some damage? Yes. But the sooner a couple of bombers get blown to pieces long before they reach their target, the sooner this terror group will shrink back into the shadows.

'We will resume suicide attacks'

The Islamic Jihad organization said on Sunday that it has decided to resume suicide attacks against Israel from the West Bank.

The threat came in response to attacks launched by IAF planes on the Gaza Strip following the firing of rockets on Israel in the past few days.

The group, however, admitted that it has become very difficult to launch suicide attacks out of the West Bank because of security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel.

Islamic Jihad has only a few hundred followers in the West Bank. Members of the group have in the past carried out a number of suicide bombings in Israel.

PA security forces have arrested many of the group's members in the West Bank. The IDF has also arrested dozens of Islamic Jihad activists in recent years.

"Suicide operations require places for training and preparing explosive belts," said Abu Ahmed, spokesman for the Al-Quds Battalions, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad. "It's very difficult to do these things because of the policy of security coordination and the arrest of [would-be] suicide bombers."

He said that members of his group were "suffering a lot" in the West bank because of the PA's security measures and "persecution."

Abu Ahmed described the PA's crackdown as a "national crime" against Palestinians.

Hamas blames Arab League for recent Israeli attacks in Gaza

Hamas, meanwhile, held the Arab League responsible for the latest escalation because of its decision to endorse direct talks with Israel.

"Our people in the Gaza Strip are paying a heavy price for the sin and mistake committed by the Arab League foreign ministers who gave a green light to the Palestinian Authority to launch direct negotiations with the occupation government," said Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip. "Israel was in need of a cover for its continued aggression against our people."

Barhoum accused PA President Mahmoud Abbas and the Arab League of "surrendering" to US and Israeli pressure.

"The decision [to endorse direct talks] will seriously damage the interests of the Palestinians," he said. "It will also have dangerous repercussions on the rights of the Palestinians."

Israel Captures Senior Hamas Commander In West Bank

Yesssssssssss! Today, Israel nabbed a real nice fish from the bowels of Hamas - senior Hamas commander, Maher Uda, was captured in the West Bank after being on an Israeli most wanted list for a very, very long time.

From the article at Yahoo News:

A top Hamas commander in the West Bank has been arrested by the Israeli security services after more than a decade on the run, an Israeli military spokesman announced on Sunday.
Maher Uda, 47, a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing in the occupied territory, was captured overnight in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah, the spokesman said.
"He had been on the wanted list since the end of the 1990s for his implication in a series of suicide attacks in Israel which claimed 70 lives," the military spokesman told AFP.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said the arrest was "the fruit of dangerous security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the (Israeli) occupation, because he was wanted and hunted by both parties."

Look at that...."70 lives" taken by this minnion of Satan. And finally, he will get to see the insides of an Israeli prison - actually, he'd be seeing more than that if it were up to me.

What this shows is the dogged determination of the Israelis to avenge what Hamas has done over the decades and it further clarifies why Hamas leaders usually hang out below ground. Think of it...ever since Operation Cast Lead, how many big formal announcements have you seen by Hamas leaders? What wasn't reported during Operation Cast Lead was just how bad it was for Hamas' command - how many they lost and how many nearly got it. Basically, in the past six months it has been Hamas trying to curb violence against Israel by other terror factions in Gaza, because the sting still smarts from Cast Lead.

Look at the statement on this capture from Hamas ...hell, they want to put the blame on the Palestinian Authority...hahaha!

Hamas has been effectively neutered since Cast Lead and although they will return to their ways of old, it is a perfect example of how you achieve piece in the Middle East - you rain bombs down on the Palestinians, you enter their cities and gut out the vermin and you never, EVER sit down and make deals with them.

Israel captures senior Hamas militant in West Bank


JERUSALEM (AFP) – A top Hamas commander in the West Bank has been arrested by the Israeli security services after more than a decade on the run, an Israeli military spokesman announced on Sunday.

Maher Uda, 47, a senior commander in Hamas's armed wing in the occupied territory, was captured overnight in the West Bank political capital of Ramallah, the spokesman said.

"He had been on the wanted list since the end of the 1990s for his implication in a series of suicide attacks in Israel which claimed 70 lives," the military spokesman told AFP.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said the arrest was "the fruit of dangerous security coordination between the Palestinian Authority and the (Israeli) occupation, because he was wanted and hunted by both parties."

"The continuation of this security coordination is going to bury reconciliation alive because it comes in the context of uprooting Hamas and strengthening Fatah," he told AFP.

A Palestinian security official in the West Bank said his forces did not know of Uda's whereabouts because he had gone underground several years ago and said they had yet to determine where exactly he was arrested.

"If there were an earthquake or a flood in the West Bank, Hamas would blame it on the Palestinian Authority," he said on condition of anonymity.

"They don't want to admit they have informers within their ranks," he added.

Long-running tensions between Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party boiled over when the Islamist movement drove his forces from Gaza in June 2007, seizing power in the impoverished coastal enclave.

Since then each movement has accused the other of persecuting its rivals within the territory under its control.

Palestinian security forces have imposed calm across the West Bank in recent years by ridding the streets of weapons and cracking down on armed groups, but they have denied going after Hamas for political reasons.

Huge Gun Battle In West Bank - No, Not Israelis...It's The Palestinian Authority Police vs. Hamas, Six Dead

Police forces of the Palestinian Authority stormed a house known as a Hamas gathering spot in the West Bank today and that set off a huge gun battle - the result was three Hamas fighters killed and three Palestinian police killed. Gotta love it, huh? Here's some of the details of the raid by Palestinian police at the story over at Breitbart:

Forces loyal to the moderate Palestinian president stormed a Hamas hideout in the West Bank and set off a fierce gunbattle that left six dead Sunday, the worst violence since the factions fought a pitched battle over Gaza two years ago.

Among those killed in the raid were two top Hamas militants who had been on the run from Israel for years. An unarmed Hamas supporter and three Palestinian policemen linked to Abbas' forces also died.
Tens of thousands of backers of Hamas and other militant groups marched in several places in Gaza City, protesting the raid and calling Abbas a "collaborator" with Israel. Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, threatened "tough and harsh reprisal."

Initially, about two dozen officers stormed the house, breaking down the door, said a policeman who participated in the raid. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The Hamas men lobbed a grenade and opened automatic fire, killing three officers and wounding two critically, he said. Other officers fled, then brought in reinforcements.
The ensuing battle lasted until midmorning Sunday. Police say they found bombs, suicide belts and bullets in their search of the house.

The Palestinian Authority and Abbas have tried to keep a lid on Hamas influence in the West Bank and this raid was supposed to show that it won't be tolerated but what ensued showed how much weaponry Hamas has brought into the West Bank. I'm sure the Israelis are cheering the death of the two prime Hamas targets and at the same time, my guess is that Hamas will strike back within the next two days - I'm not sure if that will take place in the West Bank or if Hamas will find some poor saps in Gaza loyal to the PA and make an example of them, but either way, I'm all for this jihadi on jihadi violence.

For those anticipating President Obama's speech this week which will undoubtedly contain various references to the establishment of a Palestinian state, well, look at how well these clowns handle their own situation. This is exactly why NO ARAB COUNTRY has lifted a single finger to get these misfits a state.

6 dead in battle between Hamas, Palestinian police

QALQILIYA, West Bank (AP) - Forces loyal to the moderate Palestinian president stormed a Hamas hideout in the West Bank and set off a fierce gunbattle that left six dead Sunday, the worst violence since the factions fought a pitched battle over Gaza two years ago.
Militants lobbed grenades and fired automatic weapons to push back the raid in a two-story building in Qalqiliya, a West Bank town known for its strong Hamas presence. That drew dozens of President Mahmoud Abbas' forces to the hideout.

When it was over, pools of blood, tear gas canisters and hundreds of spent shell casings littered the floor. Walls were partly burned down during the battle.
Qalqiliya, which elected a Hamas mayor in 2005, was tense Sunday. Women gathered near the scene heaped insults on policemen. Sporadic gunfire erupted in other areas of town, and police said the shots came from Hamas loyalists targeting officers, though there were no reports of injuries.
The two factions have made intermittent attempts to reconcile since Hamas seized Gaza in 2007, leaving rival Fatah in control of only the West Bank. But Sunday's bloodshed showed just how little progress has been made.
The split has complicated Mideast peace efforts because the Palestinians cannot negotiate with Israel in a single voice and Hamas refuses to recognize the Jewish state.
Abbas has backed Washington's peace efforts, and the raid underscored his determination to rein in militants as part of his obligations under the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. Last week, Abbas met at the White House with President Barack Obama and renewed a pledge to crack down on militants and honor other commitments under the road map.
The U.S. has been training Abbas' elite forces to help him affirm his control of the West Bank and prepare for eventual statehood. Many of the security men involved in the shootout had undergone U.S.-supervised training in Jordan, police said.
Abbas aide Nabil Abu Rdeneh said going after militants is key to one day setting up a Palestinian state.
"To build our country and our state, we need to have one authority, one gun, one law," he said.
Since Hamas' Gaza takeover, Abbas' security forces have detained hundreds of Hamas supporters in the West Bank and closed the group's institutions and charities.
Among those killed in the raid were two top Hamas militants who had been on the run from Israel for years. An unarmed Hamas supporter and three Palestinian policemen linked to Abbas' forces also died.
Tens of thousands of backers of Hamas and other militant groups marched in several places in Gaza City, protesting the raid and calling Abbas a "collaborator" with Israel. Abu Obeida, a spokesman for the Hamas military wing, threatened "tough and harsh reprisal."
The Qalqiliya clash began late Saturday when Palestinian troops surrounded a hideout of Mohammed Samman, a leader of Hamas' military wing, and his assistant, Mohammed Yassin. Both had been on Israel's wanted list for six years, Palestinian security officials said.
Initially, about two dozen officers stormed the house, breaking down the door, said a policeman who participated in the raid. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. The Hamas men lobbed a grenade and opened automatic fire, killing three officers and wounding two critically, he said. Other officers fled, then brought in reinforcements.
The ensuing battle lasted until midmorning Sunday. Police say they found bombs, suicide belts and bullets in their search of the house.
Security officials seized the bodies of the Hamas militants, fearing a public burial would turn into angry protests against the Palestinian Authority. Muslim tradition demands the dead should be buried quickly.
Hamas officials in the West Bank said that some 40 loyalists of the group had been arrested in Qalqiliya in the past week as part of the search for the top two fugitives. Some 200 Hamas supporters are in Palestinian Authority custody.

Israel Defies Rice, Plans To Go Ahead With West Bank Development

Good. I'm not usually in favor of a foreign country going against the wishes of the U.S. government but in this case, Secretary of State Rice is completely wrong, thus Israel has decided to go ahead with the expansion of building in the West Bank. The whole peace prospect in the Middle East is a sham and everyone knows it, from Israel to the PA to the U.S.

Now of course, the blogs and the MSM will be full of condemnations today by the palis - look for Abbas to call again for some million idiot march on the border of Israel or some threat to not be a nice guy anymore. Well, the hell with him. From the article:

Israel announced plans to build 1,400 new apartments in the West Bank and disputed part of Jerusalem, despite warnings by Palestinians and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that they could hurt peace efforts between the two sides.
While the announcement Monday could further damage the standing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak moved on Tuesday to bolster the moderate leader, saying he will consider opening the Gaza Strip's crossings if Palestinian militants there stop bombarding Israel with rockets.

The point is that Israel needs to just move ahead with its own plans and forget about Abbas - he has shown his true colors indeed the past six months. At the same time, the article makes mention of how Olmert continues to walk the tight rope in his own government and with that always comes the appearance of his wishy washy decision-making.

Here's the full story from AP.

Israel to Build on Contested Land

Israel announced plans to build 1,400 new apartments in the West Bank and disputed part of Jerusalem, despite warnings by Palestinians and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that they could hurt peace efforts between the two sides.
While the announcement Monday could further damage the standing of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak moved on Tuesday to bolster the moderate leader, saying he will consider opening the Gaza Strip's crossings if Palestinian militants there stop bombarding Israel with rockets.
The Israeli announcement on new construction came shortly after Rice wrapped up a two-day visit and left for Amman to meet Abbas. In the Jordanian capital, Rice said Israel should stop such construction projects, but to no avail.
The move reflects the political weakness of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who continues to support construction in disputed areas because it allows him to keep his fragile coalition intact _ though it does damage to Abbas' position.
Olmert insisted Israel is building only in places it intends to keep even after a peace treaty is signed.
At a U.S.-hosted peace conference in November, Israel and the Palestinians agreed to relaunch long-stalled talks and base negotiations on the 2003 "road map" peace plan. The U.S.-backed proposal calls on Israel to freeze all settlement activity and the Palestinians to rein in militants.
But Israel does not consider construction in east Jerusalem to be settlement activity because the Jewish state annexed it after capturing it in the 1967 Mideast war. The international community disagrees, however, because no one has recognized Israel's annexation.
East Jerusalem is home to 180,000 Jews who live in neighborhoods built after the war. An additional 270,000 Jews live in West Bank settlements, most of them in three major blocs.
Palestinians charge that the ongoing construction is sabotaging peace efforts. Although they tacitly agree that Israel will, in the end, retain some or all of these areas, the bulldozers, cranes and work crews are tangible evidence to Palestinians that peace negotiations are not helping their cause, further complicating Abbas' position.