Israeli Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer acknowledged on July 1, 2001 that the United States Central Intelligence Agency (C.I.A.) trained P.L.O. death squads in the United States with the approval of the Barak Government and Mr. Shimon Peres, currently Foreign Minister in the Sharon Government and formerly Minister of Regional Cooperation in the Barak Government.

Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer made his remarks during a press conference at the Inbal Hotel (formerly the Laromme Hotel) in Jerusalem, organized by the Foreign Press Association in Israel (F.P.A.).

Mr. Ben-Eliezer was responding to a question posed by F.P.A. member Mr. Aryeh Gallin of the Root & Branch Information Services.

Gallin Question (verbatim):

“While Netanyahu was prime minister, C.I.A. Chief John Deutsch appointed George Tenet to serve as C.I.A. liaison between Israel and the P.L.O.

While Barak was prime minister, then Regional Cooperation Minister Shimon Peres agreed to Tenet’s request that the P.L.O. send 40 quote unquote “policemen” for advanced C.I.A. sniper, marksmanship and advanced weapons training in Virginia.

Mr. Defense Minister, are not those C.I.A. trained P.L.O. squads the very ones today inflicting such terrible casualties on so-called Arab collaborators, the I.D.F., and Jews in Gilo and especially in Judea, Samaria and Gaza?

And, Mr. Defense Minister, why was the C.I.A. request to train these P.L.O. squads routed through and approved by a Regional Cooperation Minister, Mr. Shimon Peres?”

Ben-Eliezer Answer:

‘It’s an easy question. We thought that they would behave themselves’.

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