IDF Roots Out Terrorists In Nablus

The IDF completed a major operation against Palestinian terrorists in Nablus, a town recently handed over to control the Palestinian Authority security forces of Mahmoud Abbas.

Appaently all those expensive, shiny new weapons provided courtesy of the American taxpayer are of limited effectivelness.

Operating on what IDF sources called `conclusive intelligence', the Israeli Paratroopers Brigade's Reconnaissance Unit,the Haruv Battalion and elite Engineering Corps units participated in the 4 day operation.


In Nablus, they found a Qassam manufacturing lab, several weapons caches and an underground tunnel system used by the Palestinians as headquarters for planning and launching attacks against Israel.

The IDF arrested more than 20 Palestinians in the raid, including 10 whom the IDF identigfied as being previously nvolved in shooting attacks and placing roadside bombs in the area, a tactic they probably learned at the hands of Iran's Republican Guard. The IDF also conficated an armed explosive belt of the type used against Israeli civilians in homocide bombings. Out of the 20 taken into custody, 19 were on mahmoud Abbas' payroll as members of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyr's brigade and two of them were officers of the Palestinian Authority's Military Intelligence Force, whom the Israelis claim were aiding and abetting the al Aksa martyr's Brigade forces in Nablus.

Needless to say, the Palestinian Authority is livid about this, and accused the Israelis of sabotaging the peace process.

In a radio interview Saturday, Fayad said he had called off a trip to Egypt to meet with Arab foreign ministers to attend to the developing situation in Nablus.

"The current Israeli operation aims to heat up the atmosphere before Bush's visit," he told an-Najah Radio. "They are trying to sabotage the Palestinian Authority's successes in the city."

I suppose Fayad defines `success' as a situation where the Palestinian Authority is given the freedom to have terorrist thugs on its payroll manufacture Qassam Missiles, IEDs,homicide bombing belts and tunnel fortresses, maintain illegal weapons caches and plan terrorist attacks against Israelis without Israel taking any action to defend its people. It's an interesting definition by Israel's `peace partners' to be sure.

This, by the way is why the checkpoints and restrictions on Palestinian movements exist..because the Palestinians and their Arab allies still cherish the dream of a Jew free Middle East, and because the Palestinians, not satisfied with what was generously given to them,still lust after what belongs to others.