Rice puts Israelis in danger

Taking Calculated Risks for Abbas -Yaakov Katz

On Monday, IDF troops began dismantling the Rimonim checkpoint in the West Bank. Less than five hours later, and 15 kilometers away, a Palestinian tried to stab hitchhikers near Shilo.

The sequence of events demonstrates the risks involved in altering the tight security envelope the IDF has created in the West Bank. From a military perspective, the checkpoints are a crucial tool in the war against terror, with troops catching Palestinians on a daily basis trying to cross them carrying weapons or explosives.

As demonstrated by the list of gestures that Defense Minister Barak presented Secretary of State Rice with on Sunday, Israel's primary objective is to bolster Mahmoud Abbas. But bolstering Abbas comes with a degree of danger.

(Jerusalem Post)


Terrorism Created Need for Roadblocks -Julie Stahl

Maj.-Gen. Yaakov Amidror said West Bank roadblocks wouldn't exist if the Palestinians hadn't started using terrorism. Because terrorists cannot be distinguished from civilians, the only way to block an infiltration into Israel is by using physical barriers, he said.

In the 1970s, there was not a single roadblock in the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians worked freely inside Israel every day without passing any checkpoints, he said. "[The roadblocks] were needed only after Oslo, when the Palestinians became rulers of themselves."
(CNS News)