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PA must show commitment to target militants by Sept end: Israel
Jerusalem, Aug 08: The Palestinian Authority has until the end of September to demonstrate they are cracking down on militant groups or else Israel will do the job itself, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz warned today.
Jerusalem, Aug 08: The Palestinian Authority has until the end of September to demonstrate they are cracking down on militant groups or else Israel will do the job itself, Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz warned today.
Mofaz, a former Israeli army chief of staff, said that the PA had to demonstrate by then that it was 'taking care' of the situation.
He told 'The Jerusalem Post' that it would then be three months since the start of a ceasefire called by major Palestinian militant groups and time enough for Palestinian security minister Mohammad Dahlan to show he means business.
September also marks the third anniversary of the start of the Palestinian Intifada, the ongoing uprising against Israeli occupation. At that point "We will have to tell the PA (Palestinian authority) 'either you're going to take care of this or we are going to take care of this'," he said.
Mofaz said the Palestinian authority had so far "taken no action against (the terrorist organisations) or their infrastructures."
"The security services have to prepare for an outbreak of renewed violence and the army has received orders to prepare for such an eventuality."
There has been a dramatic downturn in violence since the truce announcement by groups such as Hamas and Islamic jihad on June 29. But Israeli authorities fear that the hardliners are taking advantage of the truce to build up their arsenals and have become increasingly frustrated at what they perceive as a reluctance by the Palestinians to tackle the militants.
Bureau Report
He told 'The Jerusalem Post' that it would then be three months since the start of a ceasefire called by major Palestinian militant groups and time enough for Palestinian security minister Mohammad Dahlan to show he means business.
September also marks the third anniversary of the start of the Palestinian Intifada, the ongoing uprising against Israeli occupation. At that point "We will have to tell the PA (Palestinian authority) 'either you're going to take care of this or we are going to take care of this'," he said.
Mofaz said the Palestinian authority had so far "taken no action against (the terrorist organisations) or their infrastructures."
"The security services have to prepare for an outbreak of renewed violence and the army has received orders to prepare for such an eventuality."
There has been a dramatic downturn in violence since the truce announcement by groups such as Hamas and Islamic jihad on June 29. But Israeli authorities fear that the hardliners are taking advantage of the truce to build up their arsenals and have become increasingly frustrated at what they perceive as a reluctance by the Palestinians to tackle the militants.
Bureau Report