Officers: IDF could handle prisoners freed to West Bank in Shalit swap
Remarks from Avi Mizrahi defy Netanyahu's position that some prisoners would be banned from returning to the West Bank, where he said they could return to terror activities.
By Anshel PfefferSenior Israel Defense Forces officers say Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for kidnapped soldier Gilad Shalit could be allowed to return home to the West Bank, and that the security services could deal with the potential threat caused by freed Hamas activists.
This goes against the statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week, who said some of the prisoners would be banned from returning to the West Bank, where he said they could return to terror activities.
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GOC Central Command Avi Mizrahi |
| Photo by: Alberto Denkberg |
GOC Central Command, Avi Mizrachi, the most senior IDF officer in charge of security in the West Bank, told Haaretz six weeks ago that he was "not afraid" of Hamas activists returning to the region, and that the IDF and the security forces could handle it.
At a press conference Thursday night, Netanyahu said: "I am steadfast on the principle that dangerous terrorists will not return to parts of Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] where they can continue to harm Israel's citizens." Netanyahu said if these prisoners were freed, they could take advantage of "breaches and openings in the fence" to carry out terror attacks in Israel.
Netanyahu said the second principle on which he would not negotiate is the release of prisoners convicted of the most heinous acts of terror.
When Haaretz asked Mizrachi whether freeing Hamas activists would lead to an increase in attacks, he said: "I am not afraid of terrorists going back. It takes them a long time to get reconnected to the area."
Mizrachi also said the IDF "can overcome" the presence of the released Hamas prisoners in the area, based on the IDF's success in thwarting organized attempts to carry out terror attacks against civilians and troops.
Police Sgt. Maj. Yehoshua Sofer, who was killed three weeks ago in a shooting attack in the southern Hebron Hills, was the first victim of a terror attack in the West Bank in 2010. In 2009, five Israeli civilians and security service members were killed in the West Bank.
Success in preventing attacks is reportedly due to excellent Shin Bet security service intelligence in the area, the killing or capture of almost all Palestinian terror organization leaders in recent years, and fruitful cooperation with the Palestinian security services. Cooperation has been particularly successful with the battalions trained in Jordan by U.S. Army General Keith Dayton.
The IDF believes that even if a large number of Hamas members are returned to the West Bank, there will be no organizational infrastructure to receive them and the Shin Bet will find it relatively easy to observe them. Moreover, the Palestinian Authority security forces are very concerned about Hamas gaining strength, and would do anything they can to limit its activists the moment they return.
"At the moment, we see no negative development in the West Bank. In my opinion we have a year until we have to reevaluate the situation, unless some serious incident leads to an escalation, such as on the Temple Mount or at the Tomb of the Patriarchs" in Hebron, Mizrachi said.
Mizrachi did not take a stand in principle on whether a swap, as it is now being presented, is the right thing to do, and opinions differ among the IDF brass as to whether freeing so many terrorists in exchange for Shalit is right.
In discussions with the septet of ministers six months ago, IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi reportedly supported an exchange proposal by the prime minister's representative, Hagai Hadas, and the German negotiator Gerhard Conrad.
The demand to deport some of the released terrorists to the Gaza Strip or abroad comes from the Shin Bet, which takes a more cautious view than the IDF. Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin took part personally in some of the negotiations, and went over every name on the list of terrorists who would be freed, and stated which ones should be banned from the West Bank.
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Israel has always used brutalit and degrading means vis a vis Palestinians. For tiny Israel, it is a complex of inferiority: it is like a rat who behave as a lion. But, Israel is super fortress and an uncontrolled buldozer. For all its existence this entity had done enormous criminal acts against Arabs and palestinians. Time for accountability would surely be soon and inevitable.
Other tactics and channels used by Mainland Chinese to infiltrate into a country include coming from countries that the victim country trusted, for Israel it will be USA, UK, Jordan or Christians, or from large banks, international science and industrial corporations or other world-respected institutions, as they were all infiltrated by Mainland Chinese persons in various faces and taken over by them to a very large extent. The failure of a country or an institution to prevent itself from being taken over partly or entirely by Mainland Chinese has turned itself into a channel of Mainland Chinese to infiltrate or harm other countries.
Israel is still seeking land expansion for settlers ... thus Israel, under Bibi, does NOT want peace. Peace means no more land for settlers.
.....for instance, if say, "I am not afraid of nuclear bombs", this could be, but others could die of fright..... Also, one can "overcome" terrorism, although we'd have a lot of human losses......... Another statement, however, was clearer - "Mizrachi did not take a stand in principle on whether a swap, as it is now being presented, is the right thing to do, and opinions differ among the IDF brass as to whether freeing so many terrorists in exchange for Shalit is right." - this is a clear promise........unfortunately of NOTHING...
Mainland Chinese are extremely powerful in infiltration, taking over of job functions and gaining trust by saying and doing something. Security intelligence service contractors are one of the channels to infiltrate into, get information of and gain access to senior and junior officers. Initially, they take over a part of a country's defence. Numerous tactics such as manipulation, scandalisation and "star-performers" will be used to get other positions within the national defence. In knowing the Mainland Chinese tactics, it is important that the world keep their mind not affected by the Mainland Chinese's mentality.
When talking about Palestinian prisoners, we must know that Israel jail many Palestinians for just taking part in demonstations against the apartheid wall, for defending their villages and homes against the vicious settlers, against illegaly consifcating land in the West Bank for highways for the illegal settlers and against uprooting thousands of olive trees by the settlers. And don't forget that many thousands were only taken prisoners for only being politically active, like Mustafa Barghouti (Fatah). It is time to put facts on the table and not to call all prisoners as terrorists.Doing so, ALL settlers must be stamped as TERRORISTS and get jailed as well.
They will be welcomed as heroes so there will be no problem reconnecting with the area
What about Rav Meir Chai HY"D and the Druse soldier Ihab Khatib by Tapuach? Haaretz, at least get your facts straight.
general mizrachi you are wrong . you shouldn't give this interview/you are not member of a kneset/
I believe the reason for not striking a deal here is a political reason. Marwan Bargouthi is on the list and he is not a Hamas guy, but his policies are anti-Abass. Releasing him will put Abass and his Fatah party in a turmoil. On the other hand, removing the blockade on Gaza means Israel has lost a strong tool of pressure on Hamas, which means Israel is going to re-do the math and some change might happen to make the Shalit's deal possible.
MR. MIZRAHI IS RIGHT TERRORISTS WILL ALWAYS BE A TERRORIST WHETHER IN WEST BANK OR GAZA OR TIMBUKTU ALL OF HAMAS ARE TERRORISTS SO MOST IN THE WEST BANK YOU WILL ALWAYS BE AT WAR WITH TERRORISTS SWAPING PRISIONERS WITH SHALIT WILL NOT HURT THIS IS A FACT OF LIFE ISRAEL IS LIVING FACE FACTS
I am not afraid either. It was agreed last week that a swap would go ahead. The issue is we do not trust Hamas, and we are going into a swap of goodwill, with an organization that does not show much goodwill. We expect Gilad to return alive and well. Unlike their brothers in the resistance in the north, there is going to be hell to pay, if that is not the case. Therefore we want them all in the one place where war can be waged. These groups have a history for returning bones of Israelis and behaving like animals after the fact.
The real question is that a swap like that would turn the whole West Bank to Hamas supporters, I mean those who might not be already. Hamas Openly declare that it is for the destruction of ISRAE and does not and will not regognise agreement signd in the past. Plus hand Hamass the biggest victory ever. There is not one Israeli Jew who dose not want to see Gilad back safely home.
Not Judea and Samaria...unless the are has been annexed and it is part of Israel and the residents are citizens of Israel