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.
TERRITORIES UNDER CLOSURE, CITIES UNDER BLOCKADE
(Article by Alex Fishman, "Yediot Aharonot", July 31, 1997, p.7)
Israel's security arms are focusing their efforts in attempt to capture the Hamas terrorist Muhi a-Din Sharif, who is referred to as "the Engineer #2," and the Az a-Din al-Kassam cell which is operating under his direction. Results yesterday's investigation into the bombing in Jerusalem connect the two suicide terrorists, who have yet to be identified, to Sharif. The security forces' working assumption is that the possibility exists that additional suicide bombers are still at large and are ready to immediately execute terrorist attacks. This was the opinion at a meeting held yesterday by the Defense Minister with the heads of the security establishment, and this is the assessment that was presented in the special cabinet meeting last night. In the meeting, the political echelon ordered the heads of the security establishment to increase their intelligence efforts, and to operate in a variety of efforts, also within the areas under the Palestinian Authority.
In the security establishment it was decided to implement the following steps: the IDF imposed a total closure on Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip presently for an undetermined period of time. The Palestinian cities are under blockade, and the Palestinian residents cannot enter or leave them.
IDF forces on the West Bank have been strengthened with hundreds of soldiers, in addition to those who are always deployed in the territories, and checkpoints have been set up around all of the cities. Exiting the cities will only be allowed for humanitarian reasons. Thus, entry of Israelis to cities within the control of the Palestinian Authority has been forbidden. The IDF has also transferred a number of companies to the Police in order to strengthen Police forces which watch over the closure on the dividing line in the Jerusalem area.
The security establishment has apparently received a number of warnings lately on intentions of Az a-Din al- Kassam to carry out a large terrorist attack. According to the assessments, one of the cell's central targets has been Jerusalem's crowded areas. Due to these warnings, over the past few days the Police have strengthened their forces, particularly in Jerusalem.
Security sources stress that the terrorist attack that was carried out yesterday in Jerusalem is very much reminiscent of the suicide bomb attack on Jerusalem's #26 bus in August 1996. Composition of the device which was used yesterday made primarily from TNT - - was similar to the composition of the device used during that incident. Muhi a-Din Sharif was behind that attack. He also prepared the device which the Tzurif cell blew up in the "Apropo" attack. Security sources believe that Sharif is currently within the areas under the Palestinian Authority's control.
According to them, it is possible that the devices which were operated yesterday, were prepared in the "factory" that the Palestinian Police uncovered, a week ago, in Bethlehem. According to information of the security arms, parts of the devices were spirited out of the "factory" and were hidden in the field before setting out to carry out the attack.
At this stage, the security forces have photographs and the fingerprints of the suicide bombers who carried out yesterday's attack, but do not yet know where they lived. A not insignificant amount of Jordanian Dinars was found on their bodies, a fact which raises the possibility that the two men came from outside the territories. The security establishment believes that it is not outside the realm of possibility that the attack was a cooperative effort of "internal" and "external" activists.
Pictures of the two men have been distributed to security sources, as well being transferred to the Palestinian security services, in order to aid the terrorists' identification and locating their operators.
Palestinian sources yesterday said that Palestinian forces in the West Bank and Gaza have begun arresting suspects of the Hamas' military arm.
Last night, Palestinian Authority Chairman, Yasser Arafat, assembled Palestinian security heads for an emergency meeting in Jericho, where he ordered them to act severely against terrorist organizations, and to begin a wave of arrests. In addition, it was reported that senior
Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders in Gaza and Jericho have gone underground for fear of arrest. (...)