Vital Perspective

Bush Frustrated with Palestinian Terrorists Undermining Olmert's Overtures

Earlier today, President Bush participated in a joint press conference in Estonia with President Ilves. Following a question from the AP, Bush expressed his frustration and dissatisfaction with Palestinian terror groups in Gaza that undermine Israeli overtures to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas:

We're trying to help get a democracy started in the Palestinian Territory. Prime Minister Olmert has reached out at one point to Prime Minister Abbas -- President Abbas. And you know what happens as soon as he does that? Extremists attack, because they can't stand the thought of a democracy. And the same thing is happening in Iraq. And it's in our mutual interest that we help this government succeed.

Clearly, Bush is referring to the ongoing rocket attacks by Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades among others. Just yesterday, Israeli PM Ehud Olmert delivered a very important speech in which he said that "the cessation of terrorism and violence will enable us to offer you a series of steps, which will be taken in joint coordination, in order to facilitate the improvement of the Palestinian population's quality of living, which was severely affected as a result of our need to take defensive measures against your terrorist actions."

Among these steps would be a significant reduction in the number of roadblocks, an increase in freedom of movement in the territories, facilitation of movement of people and goods in both directions, improvement in the operation of the border crossings to Gaza, and release of Palestinian funds for the purpose of alleviating the humanitarian hardship which many of you suffer.

Of course, there still remains the problem that the Palestinian Authority is led by Hamas, which refuses to abide by the demands of the Quartet to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept all prior agreements. While there may be some diplomatic progress through the ceasefire, we should not get our hopes up for a lasting peace and the fulfillment of the two-state solution until those preconditions are met.

UPDATE 11/28 @ 12:22: Since Sunday's ceasefire took effect, terrorists have fired at least a dozen rockets into Israel.

IDF Arrested al-Aqsa Terrorist Last Month who Trained Son for Suicide Mission

Security sources tell us that in an operation on September 21, Israeli forces arrested Haled Saber Mahmad Amsha in Beit Hanun. Amsha is an operative from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades who was responsible for a 2004 attack on the Erez border crossing.

Following his arrest, he told investigators of his active involvement in the recruitment, training and dispatching of two Palestinians who, on February 26, 2004, infiltrated the Erez crossing perimeter via a tunnel and opened fire and hurled grenades at an IDF post. Israeli Sgt. First Class Amir Zimmerman was killed in the attack.

Prior to his arrest, Amsha encouraged other operatives to carry out attacks against the Erez crossing while implementing the method used in the February 2004 attack. He also admitted to his involvement in launching Qassam rockets and to attempts to dispatch suicide bombers into Israel, and in the recruitment and training of new operatives for attacks against IDF soldiers. Perhaps the most chilling statement was his admitted desire that his son carry out a suicide bombing, and that he had trained him for such an attack.

Prominent al-Aqsa Terrorists Planning Suicide Attacks Arrested in West Bank

Security sources tell us that a raid by Israeli security forces this morning ended with the arrest of Fuad Sufan, 25, a prominent wanted terrorist in Nablus. Sufan is a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and has been planning attacks against Israel in the past few months, including a suicide attack. Two of Sufan's assistants were arrested as well. The operation thwarts a number of terror attacks the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades infrastructure in Nablus was planning to carry out in the next few weeks against Israeli civilians and military targets.

Sufan operated in the old city of Nablus and is considered a senior terrorist in the area. He was heavily involved in purchasing and manufacturing chemicals used to produce explosives and in supplying explosive devices to terror cells in the area of Nablus. Sufan also directed and guided attacks against IDF forces operating in the city of Nablus. The two terrorists arrested with Sufan were:

• Aihab Mahmad Husein Karkash, 22, resident of the village of Teluza.
• Ahssan Ali Husein Owa, 25, resident of the city of Nablus. Owa is a wanted Tanzim operative, involved in the planning of terror attacks.

IDF Detains Two in W Bank for Planning Rocket Attacks on Hezbollah's Orders

The IDF said it had detained two Palestinians in the West Bank who were allegedly planning to fire rockets into Israel on orders of Hezbollah. Tahar Amar and Hassan Ufi of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades were detained in the town of Tulkarem in the northern West Bank on Friday, an army spokesman said.

"Army special forces backed by border guards and men from the Shin Bet on Friday detained two Fatah militants in Tulkarem who were ready to fire two homemade rockets into Israel," he said.

The two men were found in possession of two rockets and eight kilograms of explosives when they were detained, he said. Hezbollah financed and commanded the cell headed by the two men, he said, without elaborating.

A Fatah spokesman in the town said the two detained men were members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades but denied that they were planning to fire rockets into Israel or that they had any link to Hezbollah.

"There were no attempts to fire any rockets," Sahmeh Zarer said. "This is all part of Israel's plan to prepare the ground for a military escalation in the West Bank. Fatah has no relations whatsoever with Hezbollah."

Ground Operation Ends in Gaza; Israeli Forces Kill Senior Terrorist Leaders

The IDF has ended its most recent ground operation inside Gaza, killing one of the most senior Fatah operatives and a leader of one of the terrorist groups responsible for kidnapping Cpl. Gilad Shalit.

Israeli troops killed Raad Al-Najah, a senior PRC official, in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza. Also this morning, Israeli troops shot and killed Al Aqsa Martyrs Bridades leader Fadi Khafisha in the West Bank city of Nablus. Israel says Khafisha was a senior bomb maker.

Troops supported by armored vehicles began withdrawing from Gaza City early this morning after six days of operations that left 18 Palestinians dead and uncovered a tunnel dug between Gaza and Israel. The reinforced tunnel was at least 13 meters deep and almost 150 meters long, and is believed to have been intended to facilitate either an attack on the Karni crossing, or possibly another raid like the one which resulted in the kidnapping of Shalit.

Palestinians Demonstrate in W Bank Against U.S., Israel; al-Aqsa on High Alert

About 1,500 Palestinians demonstrated in Ramallah today against ongoing IDF operations in Lebanon and particularly what protesters characterized as the "second Qana massacre." Participants in the rally also criticized the U.S. and urged the continuation of the insurgency in Iraq. During the protest, both the Israeli and American flags were set ablaze.

The rally was organized by all Palestinian organizations in Ramallah, headed by Fatah, which is particularly powerful in the city. Senior Fatah member and former Interior Minister Hani al-Hassan surprised those in attendance by announcing that the group ordered its fighters to be on high alert "ahead of the possibility of escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, which could manifest itself in an escalation of Israeli actions in the Territories."

A Jenin journalist who works in Ramallah said that support for Nasrallah and Hezbollah was overwhelming and encompassed the whole of Palestinian society. No official or senior figure in the Palestinian Authority would dare publicly criticize the Lebanese group, he said, but noted that privately some Palestinians are unimpressed with Nasrallah's group. The journalist added that his neighbors in Jenin were celebrating over news that a Hizbullah rocket hit the town of Afula, the deepest point hit by Hezbollah thus far.

Meanwhile, one Fatah activist said that the protest was proof that the entire organization is united in its support of Hezbollah. According to the activist, identified only as Ravia, talk in Israel about moderate Palestinians fearing a Hezbollah victory are a "media spin."

Top Terrorist Killed By IDF in West Bank; Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Claim Loss

Israeli troops killed two terrorists on Saturday, including Hani Awijan, 29, whom Islamic Jihad describes as the leader of its 'militant wing' in the West Bank city of Nablus. While wire services report Awijan was with Islamic Jihad, the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reports that Awijan and Amid Al Masri belong to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

Initial reports said Awijan was shot by Israeli undercover troops trying to arrest him while he played soccer with friends and relatives.

The army confirmed soldiers operated in Nablus today and that a 'miltant' was killed in an exchange of gunfire. Israel Army Radio said Awijan was responsible for a series of attacks on Israelis.

Morning Update on Recent Israeli Anti-Terror Operations in Gaza, Lebanon

In the past 24 hours, more than 110 missiles landed inside Israel. In the same time period, the IDF carried out over 180 aerial attacks in Lebanon. Among the targets were a Hezbollah base in the Bekaa valley used by missile launching terror cells responsible for the launching of long-range missiles into Israel, 57 Hezbollah structures and infrastructure, including tunnels and a gas station, 6 missile launchers and a communication infrastructure serving Hezbollah.

In Gaza, IDF ground forces left the area of Sajaiyah in the northern Gaza Strip this morning, where they have been operating for the past 48 hours in order to stop the launching of rockets at Israel and to destroy the terror infrastructure in the region.

In the past two days, IDF forces targeted, both by air and ground, over 100 armed gunmen who attempted to attack them. Since the beginning of the current general operations, approximately 140 armed gunmen have been killed by Israeli forces.

Early last night, the IDF thwarted a suicide bombing attempt against them. They identified a man carrying an explosives belt approaching them and opened fire on him. The bomb exploded in the gunfire. During Israeli operations, Palestinians fired a large number of anti-tank missiles against the Israelis, but no injuries were reported. During the night, the IDF hit three Hamas weapons storage facilities in Khan Yunis, Beit Lahiya and Sajaiyah, and one al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades facility in Beit Hanun. Artillery fire from land and sea at rocket launching sites throughout Gaza continues throughout the day.

Qassam Rockets Put Seven Civilians in Hospital; IDF Kills al-Aqsa Terrorist

Two Qassam rockets fell on the Israeli town of Sderot on Friday afternoon. One of the Qassams fell in the city's central market, wounding seven. Three people were hit by shrapnel from the rocket, while four were in shock. The second rocket landed in an empty soccer field.

Earlier today, IDF forces killed Tamr Kandil, a senior operative in the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Kandil was involved in several attempts to send suicide bombers into Israel, as well as several shooting attacks in the area.

IDF sources reported that a Paratrooper battalion surrounded the house where Kandil was hiding. According to the report, shots were fired from the house, and IDF soldiers opened fire in response, killing Kandil.

IDF Targets al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades Weapons Facility, Operations Center

Early this morning, the IDF carried out an aerial attack on a facility in Beit Hanun used by the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades to produce and store weapons after tanks and armored bulldozers crossed the border in northern Gaza. The IDF also carried out an aerial attack against an operations center of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Gaza City. Hamas has an office in the same building, witnesses said.

IDF sources called the northern Gaza incursion a "pinpoint" action aimed at uncovering cross-border tunnels and bombs. "This is not a massive ground entrance. This is a pin-point operation to locate tunnels and explosives near the border fence," said the IDF source.