Subscribe to Print Edition | Fri., October 26, 2007 Cheshvan 14, 5768 | | Israel Time: 10:47 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Print Edition Diplomacy Defense Arts & Leisure Real Estate Jewish World National Advertising Magazine Week's End Business Opinion Rosner's Domain Anglo File Books Travel

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad speaking to the media during a meeting with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik in Jerusalem on Sunday. (AP) del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 12:43 22/10/2007 ANALYSIS: Olmert assassination plot leaves PA caught unaware By Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondents Nobody comes out of this story looking good - not the Palestinian Authority, members of whose security forces planned to assassinate Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; not Israel, which decided Sunday to air a four-month-old affair, perhaps to score points ahead of Olmert's European tour and the Annapolis conference; not Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin, who appears to have given the cabinet a partially erroneous report. Not even the assassins themselves, who were hoping somehow to pierce the prime minister's armored car using 7.62-caliber bullets. The plan to assassinate Olmert during a visit to Jericho last June (which was ultimately canceled) brought back to the Israeli-Palestinian discourse a forgotten term from Arafat's era: "revolving door." Israel used the term frequently in the days when it still nurtured some hope of security coordination with the Palestinians, at the time of the bus bombings in the mid-1990s, and during the first 18 months of the second intifada. Later, when hope faded, nobody expected anything from the Palestinians in this regard. Now, when the Americans are painting PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as a partner Israel can rely on, Israel is returning to the old arguments, all of which figure in the assassination affair - involvement of Fatah men and security services in terrorism, "revolving door" and failure to bring terrorists to justice. Advertisement The PA had three of the cell's members in detention up to September 25, then released them. Why? Here the Palestinians offer contradictory versions. Palestinian intelligence claims they were released mistakenly by an unauthorized officer, and rearrested as soon as the mistake was discovered. But officers in the Jericho region and political officials in the PA say the three were released for lack of evidence and had denied the allegations against them. Palestinian intelligence claims the trio confessed to talking "in a general manner" about targeting Olmert. None of this prevented Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayad from saying Sunday, after his meeting with Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, that the three had been released. Fayad, who is not in charge of the security forces, apparently was not in the know at all. Why then did he speak? A senior Palestinian officer puts it down to a well-known custom among PA leaders: If you're asked a question and don't know the answer, always reply confidently. More importantly: Never say "I don't know." The assassination itself was evidently nipped in the bud. Olmert's June visit never took place, for unrelated reasons. By the time he visited Jericho in August, the five cell members were jailed, three in the PA and two in Israel. And while the security service men had professional knowledge of the travel route and security arrangements, they did not have a plan that would put Olmert in real jeopardy (as Public Security Minister Avi Dichter conceded Sunday). When Dichter headed the Shin Bet, he was fond of an anecdote that demonstrated the revolving-door policy: British intelligence agent Alistair Crooke was invited by the PA to Bethlehem in the fall of 2001 to debunk Israeli allegations about murderers being released. Crooke visited a Tanzim terrorist, Ataf Abiat, at the Bethlehem offices of the security services. But after his visit Crooke lurked at an observation point  and within a short while saw Abiat coming out of "detention" and continuing on his way (the wanted gunman was liquidated by the Shin Bet a few days later). Did the PA play the "Crooke trick" on Haaretz staff on Sunday? Only a few minutes elapsed between the request to see the detainees and the jail visit - and numerous Palestinian sources confirm that two cell members were rearrested last Friday. Yet Sunday evening Israeli defense officials could not say whether and when the two had been rearrested. Related articles: Suspects in plot to assassinate PM Olmert back in custody Jerusalem source: Israel views plot against PM with utmost severity Gaza man charged for gathering info in plot to assassinate Olmert Fayad sworn in as PM, vows to restore security to Palestinians Bookmark to del.icio.us For their grandparents Many young Israelis are honoring their grandparents' pre-Shoah communities. Something fishy here... Amnon Levy's candid camera show catches frozen fish importer adjusting sell-by dates.   1.   A well timed spin 03:08  |  E2 22/10/07   2.   True, no one looks good 04:22  |  Mark Lincoln 22/10/07   3.   Whom flunked physics? 04:25  |  Mark Lincoln 22/10/07   4.   E2, does the truth hurt? 04:37  |  Jake 22/10/07   5.   Its not a spin! 05:26  |  Paul 22/10/07   6.   Fatah 05:27  |  Paul 22/10/07   7.   They are lying man about only 7.62mm 05:29  |  Paul 22/10/07   8.   It`s not as if peace will stop the violence 05:33  |  Natallie Durson 22/10/07   9.   PLEASE! Let`s Put Things Into Perspective. ...Israel. 05:51  |  Proud Pal Defender 22/10/07   10.   load of crap 06:23  |  JohnJ 22/10/07   11.   Nobody looks good indeed, but with regard to "revolving doors"... 07:07  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   12.   to Proud Pal Defender 07:36  |  BOB KING 22/10/07   13.   Nothing is as it seems..... 07:53  |  Esther 22/10/07   14.   For Proud #9 08:04  |  Esther 22/10/07   15.   #3 08:17  |  efraim 22/10/07   16.   This story has little to do with appearence and everything to do 09:05  |  Ruti 22/10/07   17.   Why.... Why....Why... were the suspects released...... 09:32  |  Dagma 22/10/07   18.   A completion to my # 11, in all fairness to Israel..... 10:59  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   19.   WHY PEOPLE WAS TRYING TO KILL HIM? 11:13  |  indrajaya 22/10/07   20.   The US is funding terror 11:14  |  Jonathan S 22/10/07   21.   Gen. Keith Dayton arms pal goons and provides immunity 11:42  |  Absolute Sweden 22/10/07   22.   Olmert in danger? 11:50  |  Anne 22/10/07   23.   #18 Swiss (Dino) - excuses, excuses, excuses 13:52  |  CK Tan 22/10/07   24.   #18 Swiss (Dino) - excuses, excuses, excuses 13:56  |  CK Tan 22/10/07   25.   THIS IS ONLY A WARNING:TALKS OF DIVIDING HOLYLAND WILL BRING REAL 14:29  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 22/10/07   26.   # 23 CK Tan The ability to read is a God-given present.... 14:45  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   27.   Excellent post, Ruti #16 16:02  |  Polybios 22/10/07   28.   Swiss (Dino) remember the deal you made with GIl? 16:07  |  CK Tan 22/10/07   29.   How about 100% fair, Dino? 16:49  |  Polybios 22/10/07   30.   #26 Dino (Swiss) - Able to read is one thing 16:50  |  CK Tan 22/10/07   31.   # 28 CK Tan The ability to read is a God-given present (2) 16:55  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   32.   #16 Ruti has one sided coin. 17:03  |  Labhras 22/10/07   33.   # 29 Polybios "If you don`t listen to me, listen to Sarkozy".... 17:14  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   34.   #16 Ruti Some tales from the other side. 17:18  |  Labhras 22/10/07   35.   #29 Polybios 17:29  |  Labhras 22/10/07   36.   Reminds me of the Ahmed Sadat saga 17:39  |  Tosefta 22/10/07   37.   Swiss Dino 17:46  |  Danite 22/10/07   38.   Two State Solution ? Not Even a Fraud 17:49  |  Tod Zuckerman 22/10/07   39.   Dino #33 - See my post on that thread 17:50  |  Polybios 22/10/07   40.   Labhras - #35 No problem talking to Hamas 17:59  |  Polybios 22/10/07   41.   #21 Absolute sweden on idf goons 17:59  |  Labhras 22/10/07   42.   # 37 Danite 18:21  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   43.   Dino 18:22  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 22/10/07   44.   #33 the risk taker dino and cuckoo clocks 18:23  |  victor hardman 22/10/07   45.   A spot on analysis and a good posting 18:25  |  Michael N 22/10/07   46.   # 39 Polybios 18:27  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   47.   #16 Ruti More tales from the other side. 18:42  |  Labhras 22/10/07   48.   #39 Polybios 18:52  |  Labhras 22/10/07   49.   # 43 Margie in Tel Aviv 18:53  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   50.   # 44 victor hardman 19:22  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   51.   Dino 19:33  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 22/10/07   52.   Labhras #48 19:40  |  Polybios 22/10/07   53.   If Olmert`s Assassination is an `IFFY` plot.... 19:48  |  Dolly 22/10/07   54.   #40 Polybios part 1 20:16  |  Labhras 22/10/07   55.   #40 Polybios---part 2 20:30  |  Labhras 22/10/07   56.   The plot grows thinner, and the point made might be lost 21:24  |  Tosefta 22/10/07   57.   # 51 Margie, Haaretz really likes you....... 21:37  |  Swiss (Dino) 22/10/07   58.   Question for Amos Harel 22:01  |  Jonathan S 22/10/07   59.   Swiss evades the issue 22:39  |  Danite 22/10/07   60.   Labhras #54, 55 (part 1) 00:00  |  Polybios 23/10/07   61.   Labhras (part 2) 00:12  |  Polybios 23/10/07   62.   Labhras (part 3) 00:21  |  Polybios 23/10/07   63.   #59 Polybios 01:00  |  Labhras 23/10/07   64.   Swiss Dino( 2nd try) 01:49  |  Danite 23/10/07   65.   Labrhas and his hypocrasy 01:51  |  danite 23/10/07   66.   Margie in Tel Aviv 02:01  |  Danite 23/10/07   67.   The plot, and the assassin 02:04  |  Mark Lincoln 23/10/07   68.   Questions about the plot (Mark Lincoln #63) 03:40  |  Tosefta 23/10/07   69.   #41, Labhras... 04:51  |  Silvienne 23/10/07   70.   Polybios 08:10  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 23/10/07   71.   Margie #70 15:08  |  Polybios 23/10/07   72.   Labhras #63: 30 years sounds about right 15:21  |  Polybios 23/10/07   73.   31 Swiss (Dino) devolviing into a weasel ? I hope not 21:57  |  CK Tan 25/10/07

Today Online Shmuel Rosner: Going to Jerusalem by way of Baghdad Responses: 70 Gaza power cuts in days; PA seeks int'l intervention Responses: 219 FM behind closed doors: Threat of Iran nukes is exaggerated Responses: 176 Shin Bet blocked Palestinian cancer patient from treatment Responses: 261 Israel Harel: The 'human shield' practice can save lives Responses: 153 Rosner's Domain * Republican leaders aren't happy with Bush's peace process * Is Haaretz really better than the New York Times? * WTR: A Syrian nuclear plan has a kind of logic * Poll: Were you convinced that the surge is working? More Headlines 07:58 Three militants killed, two IDF troops wounded in Gaza Strip 09:34 Palestinians set fire to West Bank synagogue for second time 10:35 Experts: Syria cleared site hit by IAF, apparently to hide evidence 04:58 Olmert, Abbas to discuss gaps on framework for peace summit 06:44 Archbishop of Canterbury to visit Israel, meet chief rabbis 06:26 ANALYSIS: Israel's real intention behind sanctions on Gaza Strip 07:32 PA seeks int'l intervention as Gaza power cuts imminent 02:46 Russian officials, in Israel, downplay Iranian nuke threat 05:42 Some of PM's defense talks before last year's war went unrecorded Previous Editions Select Day 25 oct 24 oct 23 oct 22 oct 21 oct 19 oct 18 oct 17 oct 16 oct 15 oct 14 oct 12 oct

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