Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, said on Friday that Israeli does not consider the Palestinians as its peace partners. His statements came during his Thursday meeting with the Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak in Cairo.
“We are sitting here at 10:30 a.m, and the Palestinian organizations are planning attacks against us”, Mofaz said, “five hours ago, a bomber blew himself in Hadera market”.
Also, Mofaz told Mubarak that Israel is disappointed with the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas describing him as “one ma show”.
Mubarak, in an attempt to ease the situation, told Sharon that Abbas still believes that Sharon in the only politician in Israel who is capable of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Mofaz agreed to this, but added that the Palestinians should “live up to their end of the deal”.
Upon his return to Israel, Mofaz said that he is not sure that Israel can reach peace with “this man” [Abbas].
Israeli Committee Against Home Demolition, ICAHD, reported that the Israeli Newspaper Maariv quoted Dan Halutz, Israeli army Chief of staff” saying on October 26, 2005, that Israel after the Hadera suicide bombing should demolish all “illegally built Palestinian homes in the West Bank, claiming that these homes are used as “shelters for terrorists”.
Thousands of homes are built without permits as a result of the policies of the so called Civil Administration Office which belongs to the Israeli army. The office is preventing the Palestinians from receiving construction permits.
Also, Mofaz added that Sharon does not intend to carry any other evacuation of settlements in the months leading up to Knesset elections. “He will not evacuate any settlement not because of the upcoming elections in Israel, but rather because he doesn’t see Palestinian peace partner”.
Mofaz said that Israel will keep striking the Islamic Jihad and other resistance movement in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip until neutralizing the resistance, even if this will require using ground forces and additional invasions besides the shelling.
Israeli Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin, unlike his predecessor Avi Dichter warned that such operations in the occupied territories would “drag all of the factions back to the battle field”. While the Israeli Chief of Staff Dan Halutz is supporting heavy attacks “anywhere, against any target”.
Diskin believes that Israel should intensify its attacks against the Islamic Jihad in order to avoid civilian casualties among the Palestinians. Halutz believes that human aspects should not be taken into consideration.
Mofaz is said to be seeking a middle ground among the two; he believes that Israel should focus on eliminating the entire Islamic Jihad leadership and reoccupy and control areas used to launch homemade shells.
“Targeted killing is the mist trusted tool to reduce terrors”, he said.
Also, Mofaz believes that the Palestinian factions will concentrate on producing homemade shells which could hit areas in northeast of Tel Aviv, and considered this issue as a “tickling bomb which should be eliminated without delay”.
Referring on the agreement to deploy Egyptian forced on Gaza border, Mofaz said that Israel considers Egypt as a strategic asset.
Yet Mofaz complained to Mubarak that Palestinian resistance managed to smuggle 2500 guns a million rounds to the Gaza Strip.
Israeli and Egyptian security commander are planning to meet next week in order to facilitate a “coordination center” which will make joint work against the smuggling of arms and ammunition; Mubarak apposed the creation of the joint body.
Mofaz also complained that Hamas is receiving money from Iran, Saudi Arabia and Hezbollah party.
