Note: The translations of articles from the Hebrew press are prepared by the Government Press Office as a service to foreign journalists in Israel. They express the views of the authors.
TERRORIST ATTACK IN BEIT EL - SELECTED ARTICLES
12 December 1996
(Hebrew press)
YEDIOT AHRONOT, (pp. A1,19) Commentary by Roni Shaked
Terrorists for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which assumed responsibility for yesterday's attack, marked the 29th anniversary of the founding of the organization. Leader George Habash and his comrades have ceaselessly called for renewal of the armed struggle in Israel. The goal, they repeatedly explained, is to thwart any progress in the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. From their perspective, the attack does not represent a change of policy but rather implementation of existing policy. Therefore the timing is not especially surprising.
Like other resistance organizations, the front operates a "political" arm and military arm. The Ramallah area, where the attack was carried out is the quintessential bastion for members of the military arm. The GSS knows this with certainty. From the perspective of the terrorits, it was an operation in their backyard, close to home. Easy to get to, easy to escape from.
The attack was not particularly complicated from an operational standpoint. One or two AK-47 assult rifles, a stolen car, two or three terrorists. The terrorists choose a good site for an ambush. The highway was relatively out of the way, almost without any IDF traffic. Any car a victim. Easy prey. The short distance to Ramallah allows for quick escapes to a secure place. The terrorists correctly concluded that the IDF would not chase after them to Ramallah without coordinating it from the outset with the Palestinians thus gaining for themselves another few long minutes of secure flight.
Did Arafat's recent statements on the need to prepare for a confrontation with Israel contribute to the motivation of the terrorists? Apparently, it did. But it is possible that a series of splits within the PFLP caused this. Splits give rise to extremism from the splintering groups.
YEDIOT AHRONOT, (p.3) Background on the perpetrators by Roni Shaked
An anonymous phone call was received last night at the offices of Yediot Ahronot in Jerusalem. On the line was someone speaking Hebrew with a heavy Arab accent, saying :"The PFLP of George Habash takes responsibility for tonight's attack in Ramallah, marking the 29th anniversary of the organization."
The PFLP is the second most important Palestinian faction within the PLO after Fatah. It was formed on 11.12.67, with a marxist orientation, by pediatrician Dr. George Habash (65). Habash continues to lead the organization today from Damascus. He was born in Lod and fled the country with his family during the War of Independence. PFLP members carried out a number of large-scale attacks against Israel, the most prominent and fatal of which was carried out in May 1970 by Kozo Akamoto from Japan at Ben Gurion airport, in which 22 people were killed. (...)
YEDIOT AHRONOT, (p.3) Background on the method, by Roni Shaked
Yesterday's attack employed a method developed by Hamas. Travelling after an Israeli vehicle, on a deserted and dark road, approaching or overtaking the Israeli car and firing. Afterward, the terrorists flee into Arab population centers and burn their car.
This method, which was first used in Hebron in 1992, has since constituted the primary means for Hamas, Islamic Jihad and PFLP road attacks. The squad known as the Halhoul gang also used this manner in three attacks last year.
HA'ARETZ, (p. A2) Background by Eitan Rabin
At least four terrorist gangs, affiliated with Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Democratic Front and the Popular Front, which have carried out severe attacks and have yet to be captured, are operating in the West Bank. It is estimated that the Popular Front gang carried out the two attacks six months ago in the Beit Shemesh area, in which Yaron and Ephraim Unger, and Uri, Ze'ev and Rachel Munk were killed.
In both incidents, shots were fired at an Israeli vehicle, from a car which overtook it. The two attacks have not been solved, and the security forces do not know how many terrorists are in the gang. No organization has taken responsibility for these attacks. It is believed that the same gang carried out the attack in the Ramallah last November, in which Rabbi Uzi Nevo from the settlement of Kochav Ya'akov was shot. He was severely wounded.
The Hamas gangs are focussing their activity on the Hebron region. In recent months, the GSS has arrested dozens of terrorist organization activists but it is not known whether the arrests moved forward the investigation into the Beit Shemesh area attacks. Significant attacks in the last two years iclude:
06.01.95 Ofra Felix from Eilon Moreh was murdered by bullets fired at her car at Halamish Junction. The Democratic Front took responsibility for the attack.
06.02.95 Yevgeny Gromov, a petrol container security guard, was murdered by shots fired at his vehicle near the Nahal Oz Checkpoint.
19.03.95 Nahum Hoss and Yehuda Partus from Kiryat Arba were murdered by terrorists who from an ambush shot at an Egged bus near Glass Junction in Hebron.
18.07.95 Uri Shahor from Ra'anana and Ohad Bachrach from Beit El were shot and murdered, while they were hiking in Wadi Kelt. The Popular Front took responsibility.
05.09.95 Daniel Frei from the settlement of Ma'aleh Michmash, near Ramallah, was stabbed and murdered. A Popular Front terrorist carried out the attack.
16.01.96 Major Oz Tobon and Sergeant Yaniv Shimol were killed by shots fired at their vehicle from a passing car, north of Halhoul.
30.01.96 Staff Sergeant Ehud Tal from Kibbutz Maoz Haim was stabbed and murdered by a Hamas terrorist, who had infiltrated the coordination and liaison HQ at the Dotan base.
16.06.96 Police First Sergeant Meir Aloush was murdered by terrorist fire in Bidya village.
HA'ARETZ, (pp.1-2) Analysis by Ze'ev Schiff
(...) The criticism levelled yesterday at the IDF and other security branches, for not having immediately pursued the murderers, does not account for conditions in the field. According to the [Oslo] agreement, the IDF has the right of "hot pursuit," just as Israelis in the territories have the right to defend themselves. "Hot pursuit" means an immediate pursuit, as the murderers flee the scene of the crime.
Only in very rare cases can organized military forces be found in close proximity to such an ambush. The ambushers will obviously do everything possible to lay their surprise where there is no military presence, and where a hasty escape can be made before the army arrives. This was the case yesterday, when the family was attacked while traffic on the road was sparse.
The subsequent entry of military forces into Ramallah, to where the murderers escaped, was not "hot pursuit" even though it can be considered an action to defend Israelis in the area against similar actions. As in the past, the IDF preferred not to do so yesterday.
The entry of forces into the area of the Ramallah garbage dump, where the vehicle which apparently served the murderers was set ablaze, was carried out in coordination and cooperation with the Palestinian police. Clearly, door-to-door searches in Ramallah would not have met with Palestinian cooperation, and might have provoked violent clashes.
The Defense Minister, in coordination with the Prime Minister, decided upon punishment and preventive action the imposition of a closure on Ramallah. The city will be closed; nobody will leave for work, study or commerce. Vital services will be affected and, if the siege continues, there could be a problem with the supply of vital products.
In the past, the IDF has taken few such measures, with exception of internal closures on entire areas or Nablus. Last night, they tried to explain to the Palestinian Authority that the intention was to make it easier to carry out arrests. In any event, it is clear that such a closure will be temporary.