Shin Bet arrests PA official for smuggling weapons into Gaza

[bemildred]

Some interesting updates on various issues.
No comment on the allegations.

The Shin Bet security service released Thursday
that it had arrested Palestinian Authority
official Akram Tubasi in September on suspicion of
buying weapons in Egypt and smuggling them into
the Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported.
Defense sources also implicated
former PA security affairs
minister Mohammed Dahlan in the
weapons-smuggling, Army Radio
reported.

Tubasi, a 31-year-old Rafah
resident who served in the
Palestinian coast guard, told
his questioners that he used
tunnels in Rafah to smuggle the weapons to
Gaza, security officials were quoted as
saying.

The IDF has been conducting an operation in
Rafah to expose arms-smuggling tunnels such as
the ones Tubasi allegedly used. Three smuggling
tunnels have been unearthed in the operation,
in which nine Palestinians were killed and some
1,400 Palestinians were left homeless after the
IDF destroyed about 60 buildings.

Haaretz

[morebunk]

1. On "suspicion" once again.

Remember this:

http://www.indybay.org/news/2003/02/1572495.php

[bemildred]

2. Not taking a position.

They all lie all the time. Regardless of the merits of this
particular case, there is a pretty clear effort being made to
escalate the Israeli-Arab conflict, and to drag the US in on the
Israeli side in a more active role, and I do suspect the reasons
are both political and military. The status quo does not work for
Mr. Sharon or the current GOI. It is noticeable that things got
very busy after the lawyer blew herself up in the restaurant. Mr.
Sharon has one solution for all problems, more use of force, more
unilateral action, more aggressive posturing, and that is what we
see. As with Mr. Bush's PR campaign about how things are really
going great in Iraq, we now have a campaign coming from the GOI
about how they have really been right all along and what is needed
is just more of the same and patience from the suckers that are
paying the bills.

The piece about attempts to prevent US arms sales to Egypt and Saudi
Arabia is also interesting. The Israeli qualitative advantage has
been decaying for decades now, and the "iron wall" is now more like
aluminum. This is not to say that Israel cannot still give a very
good account of itself, but rather that it will be much more
expensive next time, and Israel really cannot afford a next time.
The days when one could kill thousands of wogs at the expense of a
few of one's own soldiers are gone.

The primary question I have about the tunnels is why do we not see
the stuff brought in in action. If I was in that position, I'd be
trying to get certain rather specific types of arms through, and they
would make a rather loud noise if I succeeded, yet we do not see
Israeli helicopters shot down, tanks taken out, or military grade
explosions except on rare occasions. Just the same old homemade
low-tech crap.

[Gimel]

3. Getting hot for Arafat

One of Tubasi's clients was Nabil Tamus, a top
ranking member of the Palestinian security
forces in the Gaza Strip, the Shin Bet said.
Tubasi allegedly delivered two missiles, 3,000
rounds of ammunition and a Kalashnikov rifle to
Tamus's office.

Tamus then told Tubasi that he intended to check
with Dahlan whether he is interested in more
missiles, defense sources told Army Radio.

In addition, the Shin Bet suspects Tubasi of
supplying weapons to Fuad Shubaki, PA Chairman
Yasser Arafat's former financial adviser,
Israel Radio reported.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/350727.html

[tinnypriv]

4. I take it the lie about only couple of houses being knocked down...

...is now inoperative. :eyes:

[bemildred]

5. That appears to be the case.

[Gimel]

6. But the 200 claim

was away off.