25 April 2002
DM Ben-Eliezer meets with EU Ambassadors
(Communicated by the Defense Minister's Media Adviser)
Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer met on (hursday, April 25,
2002, with the forum of European Union ambassadors posted to Israel
in order to brief them on current affairs. Accompanying the Defense
Minister at the briefing were the Coordinator of Activities in the
Territories, Major-General Amos Gilad, and head of the IDF
Intelligence Branch Research Division, Brigadier-General Yossi
Kooperwasser, who each briefed the meeting in their respective fields
of responsibility.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said that the main obstacle today is the
continuation of the PA's strategy of terror. "Although operation
Defensive Shield caused serious damage to the terrorist
infrastructure, the continuation of the PA's terror policy allows the
rebuilding of the infrastructure, and the daily attempts to
perpetrate attacks. Arafat is the only one who can stop the terror,
but he is not interested in doing that. Therefore, only European
pressure, and the complete rejection of the PA's terror policies, can
cause him, or other Palestinian leaders, to the negotiating table."
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer emphasized Arafat's personal involvement
and support of terrorist elements, as proven by the documents found
in his office.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said that Europe and the United States
should be concerned about the relations that have been formed between
senior PA elements and hostile elements in the Arab world. For
instance, the passport of Fuad Shubaki, responsible for the PA's
finances, was found during the course of the operation, and the
passport contained many stamps from visits to Iraq and Libya.
On the issue of Jenin, Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said that "Israel
initially agreed to cooperate with the UN fact-finding team, but it
seems that their intentions have changed, and completely exceeded the
mandate given to them by the Security Council resolution. We want the
fact-finding team to operate according to the principles of justice,
and first and foremost to examine how Jenin turned into the 'suicide
bomber capital' from which 28 suicide bombings originated. It is also
surprising that the UN did not call for an investigation after the
attacks on the Dolphinarium or on Passover eve." The Defense Minister
also conveyed that the Palestinians rejected, for political reasons,
Israeli humanitarian assistance such as supplies of blood,
ambulances, etc. despite their real need for these items.
The Coordinator of Activities in the Territories, Major-General Amos
Gilad said that Israel has no intention of damaging the civilian
infrastructure in the PA, but the civilian infrastructure, and
Palestinian governmental installations, have sometimes been used as
terror installations in which explosives and bombs have been found.
In addition, Maj.-Gen. Gilad said that the PA completely ignores the
economic situation in the PA and the suffering of its people for whom
they are responsible.
IDF Intelligence Branch Research Division Head Brigadier-General
Yossi Kooperwasser explained the central findings of the operation,
including documents and correspondence that connect, beyond the
shadow of a doubt, the PA, and Arafat personally, to the operation of
terror elements, and show the unwillingness of the PA, and its
leader, to stop using the strategy of terror.