Arafat Tells Security Staff: Kill as Many Jewish Settlers as Possible

Communicated by the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism / Maariv On-line and the INA

Jerusalem-----July 12......Arafat has called on the leaders of Fatah and the heads of his security forces to “kill one Jewish settler every day,” and to open fire at any time or place. Such was the substance of an intelligence report sent to Israeli decision-makers.

Report comes from “an extremely reliable source”
The information, published as an exclusive in Tuesday’s edition of the Hebrew-language daily Maariv, was said to be from “an extremely reliable source.”

The intelligence reportedly includes transcripts of a meeting between Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and the heads of his security forces, at which Arafat said, “Pay no attention to everything I say to the media, the television or in public appearances. Pay attention only to written directives from me.”

According to the report, Arafat was quoted as saying, “You must not let them [the settlers] reach their homes in peace, nor let them drive on the roads in safety.” However, he issued orders not to fire from Area A—territory under Palestinian security control—and not to initiate terror attacks inside Israel. “I want you to kill as many settlers as possible,” he said.

“Do not attempt to make arrests”
Arafat told Mohammed Dahlan not to take steps to arrest militants from the opposition organizations, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, or any others engaged in perpetrating attacks on Israelis.

Dahlan, head of the Palestinian Preventive Security Services in the West Bank, had reportedly tried to arrest Abdallah Sami, a wanted militant, but his forces became entangled in a clash with local residents near Sami’s home. When word of the attempted arrest got out, an incensed Arafat reportedly severely rebuked Dahlan, and warned the other commanders not to attempt any arrests.

This is in contradiction to messages relayed by Arafat’s political cadres, according to which the Palestinian leader has announced his intentions of doing his utmost to halt Palestinian violence against Israelis, including arresting terrorists planning attacks.

Report lends weight to intelligence assessments
The heads of the Israeli security services have long maintained that Yasser Arafat’s public statements are mere “window dressing,” and that his actions are usually at variance with his publicly stated policies. However, this is the first time an intelligence report of this kind has been leaked to the press.

An Israeli security expert, when asked what would be done with the information, said, “you can be sure that the original report has been sent to foreign leaders by the Israeli security establishment.
It corroborates everything that Israel has been saying about Arafat’s policies.”

Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau confirmed the report, which Ma'ariv said came from a document given by well-placed sources to decision-makers in the government.

Landau declined to comment directly on the document, but said it contains nothing new and Israeli officials have been aware of such orders from Arafat for quite some time. "In the last few years, Arafat has said such things repeatedly," Landau told Army Radio. "Even though the report said nothing new, I am glad that [his statements] are finally being printed, because he will remind all those that are still blinded by the Oslo Accords and Arafat."

Landau denied Palestinian claims that the report was part of an Israeli disinformation campaign designed to intensify anti-Arafat sentiment and justify future attacks on the PA.

"Arafat has made murdering Jews into the Palestinian national sport," Landau said. "The question is how long it will take us to get ourselves together and react."