Sunday, October 22, 2006

The IDF in Gaza

On the front page of the Jerusalem Post on Friday their reporter Anshel Pfeffer writes of finding 17 unguarded Armed Fighting Vehicles (AFVs), including troop carriers and an armed bulldozer, left abandoned in a field half a mile from the Gaza border, presumably after being used in the current incursion by the IDF into Gaza. The reporter was able to enter one of the AVF's, turn it on (no key is needed) and drive it a short distance, without being challenged. Inside the vehicles, although their radios had been removed, there was other electronic equipment, including jamming devices, and ammunition. Anyone could have entered the vehicles, driven them into Gaza, and/or Israel and shot at any target. This is a serious breach of security that unfortunately seems to have become commonplace in today's IDF.
During the latest incursion into southern Gaza (there was also a separate incursion into northern Gaza) the elite Samur ("weasel") unit discovered 13 tunnels dug along the Palestinian side of the Philadelphi corridor separating Gaza from Egypt. This unit uses ground radar devices that show the presence of tunnels. These devices were rejected by IDF commanders in Gaza before the capture of Cpl. Gilad Shalit by a group of Hamas gunmen, who used a long tunnel to infiltrate behind IDF lines and attack unguarded vehicles in which several soldiers, including Shalit, were sleeping.
Although the Samur could not traverse these tunnels into Egyptian territory, they found supplies of anti-tank shells and a car full of ammunition nearby. The tunnels were destroyed. It has been clear for some time to Israeli intelligence that the Egyptians are not keeping their side of the agreement whereby Israel allowed Egyptian forces to guard and protect the Egyptian side of the Philadelphi corridor. In view of this lack of action and the flooding of Gaza with large quantities of advanced ammunition and guns, there is a possibility that the IDF will take back the responsibility of guarding the Gaza side of the border, although this is contrary to previous Israeli statements that the IDF will not stay in Gaza. But, something has to be done because the terrorists are being armed and trained, and Hamas is reputed to have formed an "army" similar to Hizbollah. After this Israeli action the Egyptians belatedly arrested a group of Beduin with a truck full of shells and ammunition that they were driving near the border. Without this action you can be sure all that materiel would have ended up in Palestinian guns.
If Hizbollah had success in Lebanon fighting the IDF, why not Hamas in Gaza? Of course, they have funds to do this, presumably from Iran. Although their people are rioting because they have not been paid for 6 months, nevertheless they don't have to worry, the EU has poured m$813 into Gaza to pay salaries and for other "humanitarian" projects. Since money is fungible, this has allowed Hamas to secretly pay for the development of its new army.
The US has been pushing PA Pres. Abbas as a "moderate," and as usual their policy is to force Israel to take steps to "empower" him, just as they did previously with Arafat, until Pres. Bush finally accepted the evidence of his duplicity and called a halt to that ridiculous policy. Now PM Olmert had agreed to meet Pres. Abbas without any conditions, but then Abbas turned around and made his own condition, that Israel release Palestinian prisoners before the meeting. What chutzpah, when the PA is supposed to release Cpl. Shalit unconditionally. So Olmert was forced to postpone the meeting. Kassam rockets continue to rain down on the western Negev and once again we are back to square one.

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