New York – A detailed report in World Net Daily, which interviewed senior commanders from various Palestinian terrorist groups, indicates that these groups are planning a third intifada of heightened and continuous terrorist attacks against Israel, consisting of suicide bombings, rocket attacks against Jewish communities and “a few new surprises in our arsenal” (World Net Daily, February 14).
Statements from senior terrorist figures:
- Abu Nasser, senior Al -Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader: “The new intifada is only a question of time and this will be the hardest and the most dangerous one. It’s just about timing until the order to blow up a new wave of attacks will be given … We will fight and we will blow up the new intifada”
- Abu Oudai, an Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades leader: “There will be no calm, no cease fire until the occupation leaves our land. I don’t need to tell you that the aerial distance from Jenin to Netanya, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other cities is not big … The very near future will prove [our rockets’] capacity to kill and destroy and to beat the Israelis in the West Bank exactly like we did with these rockets in the Gaza Strip … [The Israelis] have built a huge wall on which [it] spent billions of dollars but still we are hitting Israel with our rockets and reaching every target we want.”
- Abu Abir, spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees: “If there is need, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and everywhere in Israel can become our target. Israelis must also know that we have already transferred the knowledge and the technology of producing rockets [from Gaza] to the West Bank.”
- Abu Khalil, Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader: “We will launch very soon very painful attacks that will shake the enemy … We will never give calm and security to the enemy. This will happen only when Israel will run away from Jerusalem and the West Bank like it did in Gaza … I don’t believe the brothers in Hamas will ask us to stop [attacks]. In any case, our only commitment is towards Allah… The Israelis should wait for interesting surprises.”
- Abu Hani, a leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades: “The last months were used for a rest in order to rehabilitate forces. The Gaza withdrawal proves unfortunately that force, attacks and rockets is the only language and attitude that the Israelis understand. They do not withdraw unless they are hit by the Palestinian resistance. So if there is a way that has already obliged the Israelis to withdraw, why not to use it again?”
ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “These revealing statements from leaders of different Palestinian terrorist groups show that Israel’s security and deterrent posture have been badly weakened by the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and northern Samaria last year and the current feebleness of Israel’s response to the increase in rocket and other attacks, including suicide bombings.
“When Israel does not react seriously to continuous terrorist attacks — which increased from 48 in October to 277 in December, according to the Head of Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency), Yuval Diskin — and takes only occasional action to disrupt the terrorist infrastructure and target terrorists, the terrorists grow bolder, have time to regroup and plan for the next terror offensive against Israeli civilians. All this conveys the message to the Palestinian terrorists that terrorism pays well. It is clear from their statements and plans that this is the lesson they have drawn from Israel’s recent actions.
“It is clear that Israel must use every legitimate means at it is disposal to fight the terrorists and defeat them. Serious, sustained counter-terrorist operations reduce terrorism by hampering the terrorists’ ability to plan future strikes and causes the Palestinians to pay a price that makes terrorism less popular. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz, stated last year that ‘The army can reduce terror to very close to zero … In contrast to the theory that the army cannot eliminate terrorism, I believe the army can reduce terrorism to the very lowest level … There are examples worldwide where the army did beat terror. In Malaysia, for instance, at the time of the British [half a century ago and more recently in Ireland]. They exterminated terrorism’ (Jerusalem Post, October 7, 2005).
“We strongly urge the Israeli government to heed the advice of the Chief of Staff, especially now that the Palestinian terrorist groups are clearly preparing for an intensified terrorist campaign.”