Israel bereidt zich voor op herbewapening Hamas

Hamas heeft zich na januari dit jaar volledig herbewapend.

Via de smokkeltunnels heeft Hamas dit jaar Gaza binnen gebracht: Lange afstands raketten uit Iran waaronder raketten die 40, 60 en 80 km ver komen,  anti-vliegtuigprojectielen en anti-tankprojectielen waaronder 9M113 konkuers, die tot op 4 km zware tanks kunnen doorboren. Verder heeft het zelf 122mm Katyusya`s geassembleerd.

Deze wapens worden, zoals gebruikelijk, in moskeeen opgeslagen.

80% van de moskeeen wordt voor dit doel misbruikt.

Je zou wensen dat Goldstone een onverwacht bliksembezoek aan die moskeeen zou brengen!

Misschien vindt hij dan wel bewijzen, die hij begin dit jaar na vluchtig zoekwerk niet vond.

Ook worden opslagruimtes in grote flatgebouwen ingericht, die via tunnels naar open veld leiden.

Bovendien worden tunnels naar Israel gegraven om Israelische soldaten te kunnen ontvoeren.

Het feit dat Israel zelfs Barhouti wil laten gaan voor vrijlating van Shalit werkt natuurlijk zeer stimulerend.

Niet voor niets heeft Hamas een week geleden een beloning van 1,4 miljoen dollar geboden aan Israelische Palestijnen

(wat dus wel een oproep tot landverraad van Israeliers inhoudt) die vanuit Israel soldaten naar Gaza ontvoeren.

Saignant detail: Barghouti heeft al aangekondigd niet te zijn veranderd, dus nog steeds terroristische activiteiten te willen ontplooien.

Het enige punt dat tot vermindering van bewapening van Hamas zou kunnen leiden is dat Egypte een 30 meter diepe ijzeren muur op de grens van Egypte en Gaza wil aanleggen.

Maar ook daarvan heeft Hamas al aangekondigd een methode te hebben gevonden die muur te omzeilen.

Vreemd dat de VN dit soort activiteiten nooit opmerkt en ontkent, maar dat bij treffen al die wapens, waar nooit bewijs voor werd gevonden, wel gebruikt worden door Hamas.

 

MS

 

Jer. Post

Dec 10, 2009 1:18 | Updated Dec 10, 2009 9:29

Hamas preparing 'offensive' tunnels

By YAAKOV KATZ

Israel is likely to face advanced Iranian weaponry, long-range rockets, large missile silos and dozens of kilometers of underground tunnels connecting open fields with urban centers in the event of a future conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest Israeli assessments.

A Kassam rocket crew in Gaza [file].
Photo: Channel 2 [file]

 

Since Operation Cast Lead ended almost a year ago, Hamas has increased its weapons smuggling and today operates hundreds of tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor. It has smuggled in dozens of long-range Iranian-made rockets that can reach Tel Aviv as well as advanced anti-aircraft missiles and anti-tank missiles.

Hamas is believed to have a significant number of shoulder-launched anti-tank missiles and 9M113 Konkurs, which have a range of four kilometers and are capable of penetrating heavy armor.

In addition, Hamas is believed to have today a few thousand rockets, including several hundred with a range of 40 kilometers and several dozen with a range of between 60 and 80 km. Intelligence assessments are that Hamas smuggled the missiles into the Gaza Strip through tunnels, possibly in several components.

Iran already supplies Hamas with 122mm Katyusha rockets that are smuggled into Gaza in several pieces and then assembled by Hamas engineers.

One of the main lessons Hamas learned from Cast Lead was the need to reinforce its defenses and as a result has invested efforts in digging additional tunnels, which connect open fields with homes belonging to key operatives as well as command centers.

The idea is to enable freedom of movement for the operatives between different battlefields, which it found difficult during Israel's ground offensive in Gaza earlier this year.

Hamas has also increased its use of civilian infrastructure, particularly mosques, which the terror group already used quite extensively for storage and launching rockets during the operation. Hamas is believed to have taken control of almost 80 percent of the mosques in Gaza, using them to store weapons and set up command-and-control centers.

Hamas, is "padding" itself as well by setting up its command centers in large apartment buildings. This way, it believes, the IDF will not attack them by air, and will need to send ground forces deep into the population centers, where it will lose its technological advantage.

In addition, Hamas is hoping to increase the effectiveness of its rocket capability during a future conflict and has created large missile silos.

Hamas has also recently increased its efforts to dig what the IDF calls "offensive tunnels" close to the border with Israel, which the terror group could use to infiltrate into Israel and kidnap soldiers.

These tunnels are believed to be of strategic value for Hamas, which would only use them for large-scale attacks and high-value targets.

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Barghouti expects to be released in Shalit deal

In interview to CNN, jailed Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti says he is included on Hamas' list of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange deal for captive soldier Gilad Shalit

Ynet 12.11.09, 09:47 / Israel News

Jailed Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti hopes to be released in the near future. In an interview to CNN, Barghouti said, "I am part of the list that Hamas is negotiating over, and I have high hopes and expectations to be released in this deal."

 

Barghouti answered CNN's questions from his Hadarim prison cell via his attorney Khader Shkirat.

 

When asked how he feels about the impending deal in which some 1,000 Palestinian prisoners may be released in exchange for the one Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Barghouti said: "Israel is holding inside its prisons and detention facilities more than 10,000 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom have spent more than 32 years of their life inside prisons. Also, Israel detains hundreds of prisoners without trial or charges or anything.

Shalit Talks

Hamas: Israel balked at Shalit swap deal  / Associated Press Israel refuses to meet Hamas demands for Shalit, group leader Khaled Mashaal says Thursday; no swap will materialize until Israeli government agrees to Hamas conditions in full, he says Full Story

 

"Israel is an occupying country that uses oppression and aggression against the Palestinians for decades. It confiscates land, builds illegal settlements, kills and assassinates, and arrests close to 500 Palestinians on a monthly basis, establishes and erects military checkpoints, besieges the Gaza strip."

 

He continued, "The Palestinians have one soldier to return for 10,000 prisoners, so it is natural to request the largest possible number. For Israel the soldier is the army, and the army means the state. So the deal will release 100% of Israelis in return for 10% of the Palestinian prisoners."

 

When asked about his approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has been described as one of "resistance and negotiation", he said: "All freedom movements negotiated and resisted, and what I mean by resistance is the one that is permitted under international law and has international legitimacy.

 

"At this stage the political, diplomatic and negotiating approach, in addition to the popular peaceful resistance, is an acceptable matter in keeping with the existing conditions. It is the right of the Palestinian people to resist the Israeli military and settlement occupation which the International Court of Justice at The Hague has approved in addition to international law, the United Nations charter, and all religions."

 

Asked if his time in prison has changed his political views, he said, "Prison is a very harsh and bitter place especially since I spent most of my time in solitary confinement then in group confinement, but my political views have not changed.

"I believe in a two-state solution living side by side in peace and security, and I consider that the key to peace between Israelis and Palestinians is the end of the Israeli occupation and the withdrawal to 1967 borders. In the past, you criticized the Palestinian Authority for corruption. Do you think the Palestinian Authority needs change and reform and a period of leadership under younger politicians like yourself?

 

"The Palestinian Authority has come a long way in fighting and reforming corruption, but this is not enough. The Palestinian Authority needs to do more. It is unfortunate and sad that there have not been any sentences or charges against any of those corrupt officials until now. We are in need now to reinstate a transparent and independent justice system, and to establish rule of law and the cessation of human rights abuses, and strengthening the individual freedoms, the freedom of the press and fostering political pluralism."