World Tribune.com

NextCard Visa

Israelis: Captured documents show bio-chem 'interest'

Special to World Tribune.com
MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE
Tuesday, April 9, 2002

TEL AVIV Ñ The Palestinian Authority is said to have discussed projects for research and development of weapons of mass destruction.

Israeli intelligence officers said PA documents captured by Israel's military contains interest in developing biological and chemical weapons.

The officers said that no such program was actually launched.

"We see at this stage an interest [to develop WMD]," Col. Miri Eisen, an intelligence officer, said. "We have to distinguish between biological and chemical and nuclear weapons. We're not talking about nuclear weapons. We see the interest in research and development in chemical and biological weapons."

Over the last week, Israel carted off three truckloads of official Palestinian documents seized from government offices in Ramallah and other West Bank cities. The documents included details of PA funding to insurgents and weapons facilities.

On Tuesday, Israeli troops began withdrawing from the West Bank cities of Kalkilya and Tulkarm. The withdrawal was prompted by a written request from U.S. President George Bush to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Fighting, however, continued in the Jenin refugee camp on Tuesday, with heavy Israeli and Palestinian casualties.

The colonel told a briefing on Sunday that the documents do not contain evidence that the PA or its allied militias have completed biological or chemical weapons. Earlier, Israeli intelligence sources asserted that Hamas sought to develop a chemical bomb and might have received assistance from Al Qaida.

But Ms. Eisen said that the captured PA documents so far translated and deciphered do not exhibit a link between the Palestinian regime and Al Qaida. She said the documents, being shared with the United States, do not disclose foreign funding of the Palestinian war against Israel.

"We, too, are looking at the issue of Al Qaida," the colonel said. "We have not found any links to Al Qaida, and I don't think that we will find them."

Print this Article Print this Article Email this article Email this article Subscribe to this Feature Free Headline Alerts