English translation of excerpt from Kalman Libeskind’s Maariv  8 March 2024
Column
https://www.maariv.co.il/journalists/Article-1082089

[Dr. Aaron Lerner – IMRA:  YNET revealed today (14 March 2024) that Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is blocking an American plan endorsed by the
“experts” in the IDF and embraced by Defense Minister Galant to recruit
Fatah members in Gaza and then have the United States train them, arm them
and hand over control of the Gaza Strip to them.  No – I’m not making this
Unfortunately, the gang of wishful thinking ideologues who promoted fellow
travelers at the expense of quality continue to control so much of the
analysis in the top echelons of the Israeli security establishment.
Ironically, the Americans pushing for this program are giving a boost to
their nemesis Netanyahu by showing the Israeli public that Binyamin
Netanyahu appears to be the only person in the room with a straight head on
his shoulders in this matter.]

For those spreading myths about the Palestinian Authority as a “moderating
force”: a study by “Regavim” found that on average, every two weeks, a
member of their security apparatus participates in an attack, with at least
78 personnel involved in recent years. Despite our debates on many issues,
including our clear stances even without full knowledge of facts, the gap
between the significance of these issues and our limited information is
vast. This is especially true regarding the proper approach to the
Palestinian Authority, as discussions often ignore realities like the U.S.
push for a Palestinian state or the notion of the PA as a “moderating force”
aiding our security, even as some claim they control Gaza too.

A shocking report by the “Regavim” movement lays out facts crucial for
everyone to know. Their research division followed the stories of
Palestinian security personnel, not just Fatah supporters or sympathizers,
but full-time security apparatus members who have carried out attacks
against Jews since 2020. The data, as unsettling as it is, becomes even more
so when considering it’s likely incomplete.

Why incomplete? Because the data is derived from official statements and
announcements by the PA, which likely doesn’t report every attack carried
out by its members. Moreover, announcements by the security apparatus
typically concern their personnel killed, wounded, or arrested during
attacks against our forces, suggesting a significant number of attackers
remain unaccounted for.

Despite these limitations, the facts remain: since 2020, at least 78 PA
security personnel, many of whom are officers, have attacked us. By 2024,
eight terrorists from the Palestinian security forces have already been
killed. This suggests that, roughly every two weeks, a terrorist from Abu
Mazen’s security apparatus attempts to murder Jewish civilians or IDF
soldiers. This behavior, combined with the PA’s respectful treatment of such
terrorists, including financial payments if captured by our security forces,
underscores the PA’s deep-rooted involvement in murdering Jews.

To grasp the severity, imagine if an Israeli police officer, soldier, or
firefighter were to shoot Palestinians by the roadside weekly, and the
Israeli government then conducted an official funeral, named a school after
them, provided financial support to their family, and government ministers
visited to offer condolences. How would the world, the U.S. President, or
even we ourselves view our leadership if this were the case? This mirrors
the situation with our neighbors from the PA. Anyone examining this data and
still thinking it wise to allow such a group to establish a state alongside
us or manage Gaza is beyond conventional reasoning.

Over 30 years, according to a PA security spokesman, their forces have lost
over 2,000 “martyrs,” hundreds of prisoners, including life-sentence
inmates. This translates to a “martyr” from the PA forces every five and a
half days over the last 30 years, not including those arrested or surviving
attacks.

Furthermore, Gabril Rajoub, former head of Preventive Security in the West
Bank, stated that 12% of Palestinian prisoners, or one in eight terrorists
jailed by Israel, are members of the PA security forces, highlighting the
extent of their involvement in terror.

Regavim’s report, titled “Policemen by day, terrorists by night,” documents
numerous cases where the PA and its security apparatus mourn their personnel
killed by Israeli forces following attack attempts. If similar occurrences
were within our security services, official bodies would rush to condemn,
explain, and apologize. In contrast, the PA celebrates such individuals with
military funerals, official eulogies, and condolences from senior figures,
including Abu Mazen.

It’s astonishing that these facts are not known to every Israeli, and it’s
essential to defend those unfamiliar with this material. Israel’s official
security bodies are not lax in this knowledge. The defense establishment and
the IDF Spokesperson do their utmost not to inform us when terrorists
neutralized by the IDF are members of the PA security forces. Perhaps this
is to ease the cognitive dissonance of portraying the PA as a reliable
partner in counterterrorism while reality tells a different story. This
story is one of a PA drenched in terror, rejoicing at the murder of Jews.

This article details numerous instances of PA security personnel involved in
terror acts against Israelis, highlighting the significant support the PA
provides to terrorists and their families, including financial rewards and
public honors. It questions the logic of any sane country cooperating with
an entity that officially rewards the murder of its citizens.

________________________________________
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