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Israel warns U.S. it will retaliate against anticipated fall offensive

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, April 7, 2005

TEL AVIV – The Israel military has been preparing for a resurgence of the Palestinian war.

The military's Central Command has drafted plans for an intense campaign with Palestinian insurgents in the fall of 2005. Military sources said Central Command envisioned the fighting to begin as early as September 2005 when the army withdraws from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, Middle East Newsline reported.

"The message is that once we withdraw from Gaza, everything will be back to where it started, except the Palestinians will be stronger," a military source said. "Right now, the Palestinian groups agree that it's worth keeping quiet for a while to ensure an Israeli withdrawal over the next few months."

"The main attempt by the Palestinians would be to bring rockets and missiles from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank," a military source said.

The sources said Israel's military and Defense Ministry have informed U.S. officials and Congress of the expected war with the Palestinians. They said the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has sought to make certain that Washington understood that Israel would retaliate for Palestinian attacks.

Already, a huge amount of weapons has been smuggled from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip, the sources said. They estimated that more than 3,000 assault rifles, 400 pistols and 400,000 rounds of ammunition were brought into the Gaza Strip between July 2004 and February 2005. They said 600 kilograms of explosives have also been delivered to Palestinian insurgents.

Palestinian insurgency groups have also been amassing rockets and missiles, the sources said. They said the groups, particularly Fatah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have acquired more than 180 anti-tank rocket launchers and five anti-aircraft missiles.

The Palestinian effort has now focused on transferring rocket-propelled grenades and launchers from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank, the sources said. Recently, the military captured a truck full of of RPG launchers near Beersheba that was heading toward the Hebron region.

"We believe that some of the shipments have already entered the West Bank," the source said. "Their aim is to use RPGs against army patrols and civilian vehicles."


Copyright © 2005 East West Services, Inc.

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