Conference Call With Amb. Rabinovitch Defines Israeli Priorities
Yesterday, March 4, JINSA participated in a conference call between Ambassador Itamar Rabinovitch, Embassy of Israel, and members of the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations.
Yesterday, March 4, JINSA participated in a conference call between Ambassador Itamar Rabinovitch, Embassy of Israel, and members of the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations.
Amb. Rabinovitch stated that the Israeli Cabinet had just finished meeting at the Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv. This meeting site was chosen to send a message. At the meeting, a Counter-Terrorism Task Force was established. The task force will be directed by Admiral Amos Ayalon, current Director of the General Security Service. Admiral Ayalon was given full authority to act against terrorist groups with “no holds barred.”
This task force will be pro-active and though the Israelis are seeking the cooperation of Yassir Arafat and Arab governments with a stake in the peace process, the task force will proceed as if no other parties or governments are involved.
Amb. Rabinovitch stated the government has defined three priorities, numbers 1 and 2 having primacy. They are:
1. Deal with the immediate challenge to end the present terror campaign by Hamas.
2. Root out Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terror organizations.
3.Work to salvage the Peace Process.
Several measures are already in effect. One thousand soldiers and 800 additional police are in Jerusalem. However, it is understood to be impossible to hermetically seal the West Bank. And the problem of East Jerusalem remains. The suicide bomber responsible for the Sunday, March 3 attack was from Hebron but had apparently been hiding in East Jerusalem the week before.
The Israeli government has vowed to take every measure possible to combat this wave of terrorism including, if necessary, deployment of Israeli troops into territories ceded to the Palestinian Authority. The U.S. has announced plans to step up intelligence sharing with Israel and to provide specialized equipment to help thwart future attacks including explosives-detection devices. Additionally, Speaker Gingrich’s office is planning to have the counter-terrorism bill on the floor by the next week if not sooner. JINSA fully supports these initiatives and calls on its supporters to let their elected representatives know of the importance of these additional measures to bolster both Israeli and American security.