A vital Israeli security interest, not just another debating point - by Dr. Aaron Lerner

...If the PA is in charge of the Gaza Strip then the illegal weapons stockpiles that constitute a gross violation of the agreements signed between the PLO and Israel must be removed immediately.

Dr. Aaron Lerner..
IMRA Weekly Commentary..
12 October '17..
Link: http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=72772

The huge every increasing and ever improving illegal stockpile of weapons in the Gaza Strip constitutes a genuinely serious threat to Israel - and that's before even taking into account how the severity of the threat would multiply if Hamas attacked within the framework of the kind of multi-front conflict DM Liberman anticipates.

The gizmos we have for intercepting these weapons are both expensive and limited in numbers. The more numerous and accurate the Hamas rockets and other airborne devices are, the quicker we find ourselves limiting our "gizmo defense" to protecting only the most strategic Israeli targets - leaving the remainder exposed for attack.

So when Fatah and Hamas cut a deal that leaves all these weapons in place - with the possibility that the development and deployment of ever more weapons will continue unabated - our reaction should reflect just how serious this matter is.


In the absence of an initiative to press for the removal of these dangerous illegal weapons stockpiles we could find ourselves in a situation that is even worse that the current "quiet for quiet" arrangement that permits Hamas to build up illegal weapons stockpiles as long as it doesn’t shoot (too much).

With the PA ostensibly in charge but the illegal weapons stockpiles still intact, we could easily face the bizarre situation that Hamas can freely launch rocket attacks that are excused as being the action of "trouble makers" with the world warning Israel not to respond as this would only serve to "reward the trouble makers" and "interfere with efforts to restore stability and prosperity to the Gaza Strip".

If the PA is in charge of the Gaza Strip then the illegal weapons stockpiles that constitute a gross violation of the agreements signed between the PLO and Israel must be removed immediately.

This is not just another debating point.

It is a vital Israeli security interest.

IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis: Since 1992 providing news and analysis on the Middle East with a focus on Arab-Israeli relations
Website: www.imra.org.il

Updates throughout the day at http://calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com. If you enjoy "Love of the Land", please be a subscriber. Just put your email address in the "Subscribe" box on the upper right-hand corner of the page.Twitter updates at LoveoftheLand as well as our Love of the Land page at Facebook which has additional pieces of interest besides that which is posted on the blog. Also check-out This Ongoing War by Frimet and Arnold Roth. An excellent blog, very important work. 

.