Background: Hamas has penetrated the Fatah military wing
By Ze'ev Schiff, Haaretz Correspondent
The suicide bombing Sunday on the bus in Jerusalem, like the previous attack a month ago, shows that in recent months Hamas has succeeded, in a sophisticated move, to penetrate the Fatah military wing. Hamas is taking part in terror attacks against Israel, even though Tanzim or Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claim responsibility for them.
The explosion on bus No. 19 on January 29 was carried out by a Palestinian policeman registered as a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, but he received the explosive belt from Hamas.
In Bethlehem, the area from which Sunday's suicide bomber was dispatched, Israel was prepared to reach an arrangement with the Palestinian Authority security apparatus to prepare the area for an IDF withdrawal.
This development is well-known to Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, and they both bear responsibility for events in the area. Qureia was prepared to act, but he won't take any steps without Arafat's approval. The condemnations of the attacks uttered by Qureia are meaningless; he is responsible for what's going on, just as Arafat is.
Those who expect an improvement in the state of the Israeli public relations campaign both in general and with regards to the separation fence are in for a disappointment.
Even if they hurriedly ship the wreckage of the bus to The Hague and place it next to the wreckage of the previous bus, and add the photographs of Sunday's attack victims, the International Court of Justice judges won't declare Israel innocent.
According to a German study examining the way in which Israel is portrayed by the international media, especially in Europe, Israel was guilty before the deliberations even began, and its murdered citizens are not considered to be victims of terror. Even the recent Red Cross statement on the fence did not attribute terror attacks to the Palestinians, but referred to the attacks as being carried out by some unknown factor.
In contrast to prevailing thought, the dispute on whether the ICJ has the authority to discuss the legality of the fence is not a legal dispute, but rather a moral one: Is Israel allowed to defend itself at all? Not only with weapons, but also by using defensive measures. Israel has made a mistake in drafting the route of the fence, but would even a fence inside its territory to prevent Palestinians, Jordanians and others from invading Israeli land be permissable?
The Hague deliberations are wind in the sails of the Palestinian terror operators and their supporters. The Hague "show" is the second act of the United Nations-organized hate conference in Durban, South Africa in 2001.
In Jenin on Sunday, people handed out candy as an expression of joy over the fate of the passengers of the Jerusalem bus. Foreign correspondents usually hurry to interview the mother of the suicide bomber. In the village of Hussan, home to the suicide bomber, relatives will probably erect a bereavement tent without fearing Israeli revenge.
At this painful moment it is hard to interpret or explain how Israel should act when yet again we witness the bodies of victims, among them students who were on their way to school.
At this stage it is clear that the pain of the Palestinians, from which the murderers originate, takes precedence over the pain of the families of the Israeli victims. |
