The Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) reports that another Palestinian mass murderer from the Hamas has been obliterated:

While world leaders roundly condemned Saturday's killing of Hamas military leader Abdullah Kawasmeh in Hebron, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon praised the operation. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Sunday there will be others like it if the Palestinian Authority does not tackle the terrorists itself.

Sharon opened up Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting by thanking the security services for the "successful" and "important" operation in Hebron, saying it was "vital" for national security.

Kawasmeh, who was at the top of the "most wanted" list for the West Bank, is accused of having masterminded four attacks in which 52 people were killed. Security officials say he was killed while resisting arrest.

Sharon said that if the PA "continues to refuse" to take on security responsibility in specific areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or if it does not "seriously work" against the terrorists after assuming this responsibility, "we will continue with our action to provide security for Israeli citizens."

The Hamas and other terrorists such as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Arafat's Al-Aksa brigades reject peace and wish for the destruction of Israel and the genocide of her citizens. Click here for a list of homicide bombings executed by these mass murderers and click here for the stories of some of the victims.

There will be no cease-fire ("Hudna" in Arabic), since the only purpose of such a cease-fire would be to allow these murderers to re-organize after the fatal blows the Israeli army has executed in the last few days.

No cease-fire with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad while we continue the peace talks with Mahmoud Abbas. I like it.

I copy the full article below.

Sharon defends Kawasmeh killing as 'vital'
By HERB KEINON, Jun. 22, 2003
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/
Satellite?pagename=JPost/A/
JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1056257312071

While world leaders roundly condemned Saturday's killing of Hamas military leader Abdullah Kawasmeh in Hebron, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon praised the operation. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Sunday there will be others like it if the Palestinian Authority does not tackle the terrorists itself.

Sharon opened up Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting by thanking the security services for the "successful" and "important" operation in Hebron, saying it was "vital" for national security.

Kawasmeh, who was at the top of the "most wanted" list for the West Bank, is accused of having masterminded four attacks in which 52 people were killed. Security officials say he was killed while resisting arrest.

Sharon said that if the PA "continues to refuse" to take on security responsibility in specific areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, or if it does not "seriously work" against the terrorists after assuming this responsibility, "we will continue with our action to provide security for Israeli citizens."

Mofaz told the cabinet that Hamas will continue to try to carry out terror attacks even as it negotiates with the PA over a tactical cease-fire, but that Israel will not sit back and wait for the organization to strike. Rather, he said, "actions like we saw yesterday [the killing of Kawasmeh] will continue as long as [the PA] doesn't take on security control."

Briefing the cabinet on his talks Friday with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, Sharon said he explained to him that Israel is willing to pass on security responsibility to the PA in any area it chooses.

Where the PA does take over security control, he said, it will be responsible for stopping the terror, and it will be obligated to do everything it can to stop terror from emanating from other areas as well. Israel will take action where the PA fails to act, he said.

Sharon said Israel will not accept any tactical cease-fire between the PA and the terror organizations if it does not lead to the disarmament and dismantling of these organizations.

"A cease-fire can only be short stage in a longer process, not serve as an alternative for a true war against terror," he said.

Sharon said that during his meeting with Powell, he stressed the issue of incitement, saying that this needs to stop "immediately and everywhere." Halting the incitement, which the PA is called upon to do by the road map, is not connected to taking over security control and must be done immediately, Sharon said.

According to Sharon, Powell said that the US sees "eye-to-eye" with Israel on these issues, and wants to see the PA genuinely and seriously fight terror.

Regarding the dismantling of the unauthorized settlement outposts, Sharon told the cabinet that this policy will continue regardless of whether the PA fulfills its part of the road map or not, because former foreign minister Shimon Peres pledged to Powell to do this two years ago. Israel's relationship with the US, Sharon said, is built on trust, and therefore it is important to fulfill all commitments.

Sharon divided the outposts, which he did not number, into three categories: those with security significance, those set up as a "provocation to the government," and those which fall in the middle.

Sharon said that the outposts established as a provocation will be removed regardless of what happens in the diplomatic process, and that those "in the middle will be dealt with if there is quiet." Regarding outposts important for security, Sharon did not elaborate.

Mofaz said in his briefing that efforts to carry out terror attacks "continue unabated," and that despite the PA's security discussions with Israel, it has demonstrated "passivity" in taking on the terror infrastructure.

Mofaz said that the PA is evading taking on security responsibility. "The PA wants a cease-fire before it takes on security control," he said, "so that it won't have to confront Hamas." The significance of a failure to tackle the terrorist infrastructure, Mofaz said, is that the PA has transferred the keys to the diplomatic process to Hamas, which "dictates the agenda."

He said he is becoming more doubtful that the PA has the will to take on Hamas, even though it has the ability. "Even when it does take on the security responsibility, I don't see it fighting Fatah, Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and the Tanzim," he said.

Mofaz also briefed the cabinet on the numerous foiled terrorist attacks last week, and said this is a result of the policy of targeted killings and arrests.

Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defended the policy of targeting killings in an interview with Sky News, saying that such actions are justified. He said that "targeting terrorists, the killers themselves, is self-defense and everyone in international law and with common sense will accept that." When pressed by the interviewer, he said, "You can question its effectiveness but not it's justification."

Bassam Abu Sharif, an adviser to PA Chairman Yasser Arafat, said Sunday night that the PA expects Hamas to agree to Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's request for a truce with Israel "very, very soon," despite the killing of Kawasmeh. "It seems Hamas will give a positive answer to the [PA's] request for a truce very, very soon so that there can be a Cairo declaration of a cease-fire," Abu Sharif told The Jerusalem Post.

PA officials accused Israel of attempting to sabotage a truce negotiations by killing Kawasmeh.

At the same time, they said security talks on an IDF withdrawal from parts of the Gaza Strip and Bethlehem would continue this week and that there is still hope Hamas would agree to end terror attacks under immense international pressure.
"What is under discussion now is the size of the first IDF withdrawal... Israel wants to minimize it," Abu Sharif said.

In return for a cease-fire declaration, the PA will ask for an IDF withdrawal from all of the Gaza Strip, Bethlehem, and Ramallah, he added. The US supports an IDF withdrawal most of Gaza and Bethlehem, a PA official added. Ramallah might be the second step.

Meanwhile, Hamas threatened more terror in retaliation for the killing of Kawasmeh. "The thundering retaliation for the cowardly assassination operation is coming by God's will. The Zionists will curse themselves a thousand times for committing their crime against leader Abdullah Kawasmeh," read a statement faxed to Reuters by Hamas.

Tovah Lazaroff and Lamia Lahoud contributed to this report.

Posted by David Melle
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