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The dession at the weekly Cabinet meeting today |
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| (23/06/2002) |
1. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer briefed ministers on current
security matters and pointed out that Israel has endured another
difficult week in the confrontation with Palestinian terror.
Thirty-three Israelis were killed and over 90 were wounded, with the
most prominent attacks being the suicide-attack at French Hill in
Jerusalem, the suicide-attack at Pat junction in Jerusalem and the
horrifying attack at Itamar in which five people were killed, including
a mother and three of her children.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said that Israel is facing a renewed wave
of terrorism, most acts of which it foils but a minority of which
succeed in causing us painful damage. In light of this wave of terror,
Israel has decided to go back to deepening its preventive actions in the
main Palestinian cities in Judea and Samaria, which constitute hothouses
of terror.
At this stage, Israel is operating in Jenin, Ramallah, Bethlehem,
Kalkilya and Tulkarm.
The presence in the aforementioned cities disrupts and impedes the
carrying out of attacks and enables the enhanced exposure and
destruction of terrorist infrastructures. Israel will stay in, and
operate in, these cities as necessary; there is no intention to conquer
the areas, but to conquer terrorism.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said that he had approved the emergency
mobilization of reservists. In addition to actions in the cities, the
IDF and the security forces are carrying out preventive and
counter-terrorist measures in rural areas.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer drew attention to the sharp debate in the
Palestinian arena over the efficacy of the continuation of the violent
conflict, including suicide-attacks in Israel.
2. The concept of a "seam area" was presented to the Cabinet.
Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer emphasized that from his point-of-view,
this was a security separation design to impede - as much as possible -
the infiltration of terrorists and war materiel into Israel; it is not a
diplomatic-political separation.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stressed that the fence and the obstacles
comprising the "seam area" are security measures, the construction of
which does not express a border of any kind, political or otherwise. It
is a means only. Following the discussion, which lasted several hours,
the Cabinet decided as follows:
A. The Cabinet reiterates the supreme importance of unity, which enables
it to stand as one body in the face of challenges and security and
political problems in the future.
B. The Cabinet was presented with the security concepts of the "seam
area", for the Jerusalem area, and for the eastern security zone, about
which a discussion will be held.
C. The Cabinet approved the implementation of the first stage of the
fence as it was presented by the security establishment.
D. The Cabinet decided to - in the framework of the first stage -
approve the construction of security fences and obstacles, the objective
of which will be to reduce the infiltration of terrorists from Judea and
Samaria into Israel.
E. The fence and the other obstacles are security means. Their
construction expresses neither a political, nor any other kind of,
border.
F. Ministers may submit their proposals - in writing - regarding the
placing of the fence to Prime Minister Sharon or Defense Minister
Ben-Eliezer by June 30.
G. The exact and final placing of the fence will be determined by Prime
Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer. The final placing
will be submitted to the Ministerial Committee on National Security or
the Cabinet. In the event that there is no agreement, Prime Minister
Sharon will submit the matter to either the Ministerial Committee on
National Security or the Cabinet for a decision.
H. Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer and Finance Minister Silvan Shalom will
discuss the various budgetary issues. |
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