Israel's security chief warns nation to brace for nonconventional attacks

TEL AVIV -- Israel's domestic intelligence chief is warning that the country is entering a difficult period with increasing threats from terrorism and nonconventional weapons.

General Security Services chief Ami Ayalon told an audience at Tel Aviv University that Israel faces a double threat of terrorism and nonconventional attacks as the nation resumes the peace process. He warned that the country will have to heal close ranks to face these threats.

"We are entering a long-term conflict with terrorism and nuclear-biological-chemical threat that will require the entire Israeli society to recruit all of its energies, which it either has or doesn't have," Ayalon said on Tuesday night.

Ayalon spoke as Israel faces a bitter debate over whether to withdraw from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights, captured by Israel in the 1967 war, and the subject of forthcoming negotiations with the Palestinians and Israel. Israeli media reported on Wednesday that police are monitoring opposition to a Golan withdrawal, something officials denied.

"Cohesion is the critical elements in dealing with these threats," Ayalon added to an audience of leading academics, retired generals and agency officials. "The person who deals with threats is not the soldier but the society. The more long-term the threat the greater the need for cohesion. A long war divides society. The longer a society is subjected to this threat the greater the element for cohesion."

In a rare address by the GSS chief, Ayalon warned that the Islamic Palestinian opposition believes it can exploit the divisions within Israeli society. He referred to statements by Hamas leader Ahmed Yassin that a united Palestinian society can overcome the technological superiority of Israel.

Ayalon complained that Israeli officials pay little attention to terrorism and its threat to society. He recalled a recent seminar on national security doctrine. In the four days of discussions, he said, about 15 minutes was devoted to the issue.

The GSS chief said prolonged terrorism and other threats have divided Israeli society. He said the country is split between the Jewish majority and the Arab minority as well as between Jews.

Ayalon said a large minority of Israelis do not recognize the basic symbols of the Jewish state. "Between 30 and 40 percent of the population in Israel will not stand or sing when the anthem is played," he said.

The reference was to Israel's 1 million Arabs who do not support Zionism and hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews who do not recognize a secular Jewish state.

"There is a deep split between Jews and Arabs," Ayalon said. "It is getting stronger because of demography. There is also a religious-secular dispute [between Jews]. Both splits became stronger after the 1973 war."

Ayalon said society is divided over the identity of Israel as well as the methods used by each side to promote its agenda. He suggested that Israel is becoming a more violent society where force is the norm to solve disputes.