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Last update - 10:18 21/09/2008
PA chief of staff: We must be ready to retake Hamas-ruled Gaza by force
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Hamas, Palestinian Authority 

RAMALLAH - The Palestinian Authority must be ready to use force against Hamas in Gaza "to reunify the homeland," said the head of PA forces in the West Bank, Gen. Dhiab al-Ali (Abu al-Fatah), considered the Palestinian chief of staff.

"If Gaza remains mutinous, the Palestinian Authority will have no choice but to use force against it," Ali said in a recent interview with Haaretz at his Ramallah offices.

Ali said the PA has not ruled out using force if the territory remains in Hamas' hands.
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"There haven't yet been consultations with the Israelis on the issue," Ali said. "We hope we won't need that option - for us it's the last choice for unifying the homeland - but we must be prepared to implement it. If you want to transport forces [to Gaza] you need different weapons and different capabilities [than those currently available]. There must be Israeli, Jordanian and Egyptian agreement. But if circumstances permit then we must reunify the homeland."

No senior PA official close to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has ever expressed such views to the media, and especially not shortly before a Fatah delegation is set to attend talks in Cairo on a possible detente with Hamas. A similar Hamas delegation is scheduled to talk with Egyptian officials early next month, and Egypt may try to hold a reconciliation summit in Cairo after the holiday of Id al-Fitr.

Ali dismissed Hamas' threats against the PA in the West Bank. "Hamas doesn't have the power to pose a real challenge to the PA in the West Bank," he said. "Israel's declarations about Hamas' capabilities are a wild exaggeration. If the Israelis were to withdraw from PA territories today we would assume responsibility everywhere. There will be problems, but where aren't there in this region? If the Israeli army withdraws from the West Bank we'd have to increase the Palestinian forces to about 15,000 soldiers."

But in a conversation whose main points were published in Yedioth Ahronoth last week by journalist Nahum Barnea, Ali spoke about the Palestinian military's fear that Hamas will try to provoke mass protests in January, when Abbas' term ostensibly ends.

Ali, 65, was appointed head of the Palestinian forces about 19 months ago. Before that he was commander of the Jenin/Tul Karm region. He has significantly improved the capabilities of the national security organization and its popular standing.

At the National Security headquarters, around 30 of Ali's most senior officers, as well as administrative employees and even clerks, gathered around a dining table for Iftar, the meal that breaks the daily fast during the month of Ramadan.

"What about the girls, have they eaten yet?" the chief of staff asks. The table groans under the weight of the food: rice and lamb, of course, as well as fish, salads and a variety of other meat dishes - it's a far cry from the standard IDF dining hall.

Ali's military theory holds that when the Palestinian side is quiet and there are no shooting incidents, the Israelis are more receptive to the Palestinians' woes. "As long as there is killing," he says, "there'll be no [Israeli] interest."

Ali was born in Qadas, a village near Safed, and became a refugee at the age of 4, when his family fled to Lebanon. As a youth he joined Al-'Asifa, the Fatah army, and served in a number of positions in Lebanon. He returned to the territories in 1995.

"During my term we reorganized the National Security organization. Ninety percent of the officers were replaced with younger officers," Ali says.

His officers undergo training in Jericho, under U.S. supervision and assistance headed by Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the PA. Soldiers are trained in Jericho and Jordan. Two battalions have completed the new training regimen so far. A third left for Jordan on Thursday and a fourth is scheduled to train there in the future. Ali has about 7,500 soldiers under his command.

He does not conceal his anger over Israel's responses to his requests for arms and ammunition, or the restrictions on the movement of PA forces in the West Bank.

"There is cooperation with Israel," Ali says. "We prevented dozens of terror attacks just this year."

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  • Meshal: Hamas ready for Fatah reconciliation, but rejects external pressure
  • Abbas: Failure to reach peace will 'change parameters of debate'
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      1.   How Might? 01:56  |  Mark Lincoln 21/09/08
      2.   more action less talk 02:00  |  vik 21/09/08
      3.   FINALLY someone who says the truth 02:22  |  Joey 21/09/08
      4.   Ali is a fool and full of hot air! Hamas was elected unlike...... 04:16  |  Joe 21/09/08
      5.   Yeah right! 04:32  |  D 21/09/08
      6.   I can`t be done - because they don`t want to really do it 05:00  |  Avi 21/09/08
      7.   The hebrew word hamas! 05:49  |  Paul 21/09/08
      8.   Israel would be NUTS 06:08  |  real vision 21/09/08
      9.   Ha, Fatah Cowards Talk Tough Till a Shot is fired! 06:25  |  Baruch Gold 21/09/08
      10.   General Dhiab al-Ali`s Last Stand 06:48  |  Jeff Northridge 21/09/08
      11.   This must be a new Haaretz comedy piece 07:08  |  Hassa 21/09/08
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      13.   foolish generaal 07:54  |  B.Saleem 21/09/08
      14.   The bullshit of PA traitors 08:31  |  Hazzaa Abu-Ghazaleh 21/09/08
      15.   Same goals of Hamas and Fatah. 08:37  |  Jean Van Daem 21/09/08
      16.   Genocide ! Occupation ! Apartheid ! 09:29  |  Fortuna Benmayor 21/09/08
      17.   PA chief of staff? 09:33  |  Cynical 21/09/08
      18.   Gen. Dhiab al-Ali your time will come, 09:48  |  mohanad 21/09/08
      19.   Mark Lincoln #1 Lots of truths in a short unexpected post 09:50  |  S 21/09/08
      20.   A mouse squeaks 10:33  |  Clickfool 21/09/08
      21.   POLITICS 10:45  |  Mark of Lewiston 21/09/08
      22.   12 Frank Mortimer, where indeed is the UN ? 11:09  |  lakshmi 21/09/08
      23.   #14 Fortuna 11:49  |  Daniela 21/09/08
      24.   Stupid (Arab) macho talk....... 12:02  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/09/08
      25.   It should be remembered that Hamas won the last election 12:10  |  Natallie Durson 21/09/08
      26.   For Natallie Durson # 23 12:24  |  Clickfool 21/09/08
      27.   This distressing situation spotlights urgency of Israeli peace 12:33  |  Ivar 21/09/08
      28.   to Joey #3 12:35  |  newsreader 21/09/08
      29.   HE THINKS HE IS A TOUGH GUY 12:40  |  indrajaya 21/09/08
      30.   #25 nutullie calls it an election ? who were the free candidates? 12:43  |  v.hardman 21/09/08
      31.   ISRAEL SHOULD OBJECT 12:43  |  newsreader 21/09/08
      32.   #24 Swiss Dino 13:19  |  MR 21/09/08
      33.   As long as the PA is doing the battling. 13:46  |  De 21/09/08
      34.   # 32 MR 13:57  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/09/08
      35.   Stupid Swiss Dino macho talk 14:30  |  x-ray 21/09/08
      36.   Support General Dhiab al-Ali (Abu al-Fatah) 15:05  |  HumanityKadima 21/09/08
      37.   It would be nice if Hamas released Shalit, Mr. Clickfuel! 15:19  |  Avi 21/09/08
      38.   Hamas annulled the election 15:22  |  Walter 21/09/08
      39.   Hazzaa Abu-Ghazaleh 15:24  |  rich 21/09/08
      40.   #36 its time for haaretz to create the rosy corner 15:29  |  v.hardman 21/09/08
      41.   mark Missed it 15:30  |  Sabra 21/09/08
      42.   Durson # 25 15:37  |  Sabra 21/09/08
      43.   # 35 x-ray, at least my post should show you that..... 15:59  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/09/08
      44.   What in a name? 16:02  |  Baz Mann 21/09/08
      45.   FINALLY, SOMEONE WITH A SPINE! 16:09  |  jewish doctor 21/09/08
      46.   WHAT A JOKE! ONLY FORCE KEEPING FATAH ALIVE IS ISRAELI MILITARY 16:10  |  G Marcus 21/09/08
      47.   #34 Swiss Dino 16:14  |  MR 21/09/08
      48.   Israel Don`t Allow This 16:26  |  Yosemite 21/09/08
      49.   B.Saleem 16:34  |  rich 21/09/08
      50.   Clickfool - Working hard again.... 16:51  |  Warren 21/09/08
      51.   The Israeli leaders` warning only has affected Pals too 16:52  |  Helm of Chelm 21/09/08
      52.   #14 `evil Zionist children???? 17:04  |  rob 21/09/08
      53.   Swiss.... and the monumental bloodbath 17:10  |  Lynn 21/09/08
      54.   Daniela, I am 100 % with you. I was mimmicking Hamas` hypocrisy ! 17:17  |  Fortuna Benmayor 21/09/08
      55.   #26 Nathalie Durson 17:37  |  Daniela 21/09/08
      56.   Mark of Lewiston 18:19  |  Danite 21/09/08
      57.   Fatah vs Hamas 18:34  |  Jasper 21/09/08
      58.   # 52 Fortuna from ColOOOOmbia 19:42  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/09/08
      59.   # 47 MR Touché :) 19:44  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/09/08
      60.   Strange! 19:48  |  Paul 21/09/08
      61.   # 53 Lynn 19:48  |  Swiss (Dino) 21/09/08
      62.   # 1 Mark Lincoln - Bravo 20:21  |  fiona 21/09/08
      63.   #25 Ms. Durson, stop panting when saying "Hamas" 20:24  |  amused 21/09/08
      64.   For Avi # 37 21:13  |  Clickfool 21/09/08
      65.   Joe - And did Hamas win by threatening to kill every 21:29  |  BF 21/09/08
      66.   Mark Lincoln - you are right 21:38  |  pt 21/09/08
      67.   Go ahead General, retake Gaza. Hmmmm. 23:33  |  Stephen. 21/09/08
      68.   Danite - Hope Springs Eternal 23:39  |  Mark of Lewiston 21/09/08
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