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Politics : WAR on Terror. Will it engulf the Entire Middle East? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Machaon who wrote (4383)	5/16/2002 11:27:39 AM
From: Scoobah	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 32591

Incoming Chief Ya'alon: Gaza operation 'a matter of time' By Aluf Benn, Ha'aretz Correspondent Incoming IDF chief Moshe Ya'alon, on an informal trip to Washington, told reporters that the Tenet cease-fire plan is no longer relevant. (Photo: Archive) The next Chief of Staff of the IDF, Major General Moshe Ya'alon, who is on a visit to Washington, has said that it is "only a matter of time" until the IDF launches an attack against the Palestinian terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip. Ya'alon also blasted the proposal that CIA director George Tenet visit the Middle East to help rebuild the battered Palestinian security apparatus, and said that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's claim that Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat was "irreplaceable" as a partner in the peace process, was "a mistake." Ya'alon added that Arafat should have been "isolated" immediately after the capture of the Karine A weapons ship, and that Powell "released [Arafat] from responsibility." Ya'alon, who will take over from Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz in June, is in the United States to meet with several senior figures in the Bush administration, including National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice. The trip, which is aimed at introducing the incoming commander of the IDF to senior administration officials in Washington, was defined as informal. Ya'alon's comments were published Thursday in the New York Times, which credited his comments to "a senior Israeli military official," who met with senior American military correspondents. The paper reported that Ya'alon told journalists that he "cannot see any utility for [Tenet's mission]. The situation is not mature for such a mission." Ya'alon added that reforms in the PA's security apparatus were not possible as long as Arafat remained chairman. According to the Times, "senior officers" (probably Ya'alon himself-A.B.) are afraid that any strengthening of the PA will lead to a new wave of terror attacks. Ya'alon told the paper that Hamas, as well as other terror organizations, are using the Gaza Strip as a safe refuge, where they are manufacturing mortars and planning more terror attacks. The IDF operation in Gaza was deferred for political reasons, but would eventually be carried out, said Ya'alon, probably immediately after the next terror attack on Israeli soil. Ya'alon also said that Israel would no longer rely on the Palestinian Authority to prevent terror attacks in the West Bank, and that efforts to implement the Tenet cease-fire plan "are no longer relevant." According to the Times, Powell "offered an entirely different view," and is due to meet Thursday with Tenet to discuss his up-coming mission to the Middle East. Related Sites New York Times: U.S. and Israel Disagree on West Bank Security