ALSO IN THE NEWS                                         ALL THE NEWS FOR OCTOBER 2005

SUMMARY OF HEADLINES

Arrest of a 14 year old Palestinian who had been asked to carry out a suicide bombing

The youth had been approached by Tanzim operatives who attempted to recruit him for an attack against Israeli targets. In a joint IDF and ISA arrest activity on October 10th, 2005, a Palestinian youth aged 14 who had been asked to carry out a suicide attack was arrested in his house in Nablus. During his questioning, the youth revealed that he had been coerced to carry out a suicide attack by Rabi'ah Farid Mousah Abu Alil, 23, a wanted Tanzim operative from the Balata refugee camp in Nablus...

Hamas terrorist arrested yesterday in Tzurif. Ibrahim Ginat is among those responsible for the "Apropo" cafe bombing in Tel Aviv in which 3 Israeli civilians were murdered In a joint operation of the IDF, ISA and Israeli Police in the village of Tzurif yesterday, October 11th, 2005, security forces arrested Ibrahim Ginat, 47, a Hamas terrorist who has been wanted by security forces for the past 8 years. Ginat is the last remnant of the Tzurif Hamas cell which executed multiple terror attacks between the years 1995- 1997...

Hundreds of Palestinian insurgents entering Lebanon from Syria

Lebanese security sources said hundreds of Palestinian insurgents have crossed the Syrian border into Lebanon over the past two weeks. The sources
said the insurgents, aided by Syria, have brought large amounts of weapons to their bases in Lebanon. The government of Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora has asked the United States to help secure the mountainous frontier with physical barriers, lethal platforms and sensors. At the same time, Lebanese troops and police have been deployed along the eastern border with Syria. On Sept. 28, an FBI delegation began investigating a series of bombings of prominent Lebanese in the Beirut area. The attacks included the car bombing that maimed a Lebanese television journalist. Lebanese sources said fighters from the Syrian-backed Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command have been streaming into Lebanon. The PFLP-GC, headed by Syrian Army Capt. Ahmed Jibril, is the leading Palestinian ally of Damascus. The group has maintained bases in Lebanon despite the Syrian military withdrawal in April 2005. The Lebanese army established 25 border checkpoints and arrested scores of PFLP-GC fighters entering Lebanon's Bekaa Valley from Syria, the sources said. They said, however, that other insurgents have succeeded in resupplying PLFP-GC bases in Dir Al Asher, Naamah as well as the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatilla. In response, Jibril has declared an alert and directed commanders to prepare to mobilize forces. Jibril has appealed to other Palestinian factions to confront the Lebanese military. Siniora said a team of U.S. experts arrived in Beirut to assist the investigation into bombings throughout Lebanon. Lebanese authorities were having difficulty gathering and examining forensic evidence from the attacks, which have been attributed to Syria, Siniora said. U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman said the FBI team would provide technical expertise in the investigation of the bombings. He did not elaborate.  Source: Geostrategy

Book reveals new evidence of KGB backing for Palestinian terrorism

The KGB secretly supplied arms to the Palestinian terror group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), according to a new book by British author Christopher Andrew and KGB defector Vasili Mitrokhin. The KGB recruited PFLP operations chief Wadi Haddad in 1970. Arms sent to the PFLP from Moscow included large numbers of RPG-7 grenade launchers and small arms and ammunition purchased in West Germany, to avoid them being traced to the KGB. Haddad worked for the KGB in a failed attempt to kidnap the CIA's station chief in Lebanon. Other abductions were successful. The KGB was able to use Haddad to learn nearly all of the PFLP's terrorist attacks in advance, the book states. Haddad worked with PFLP terrorist Ilyich Ramirez Sanchez, known as Carlos the Jackal, in the raid on the OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna in December 1975. Haddad died of a brain hemorrhage in 1978. The KGB also planted an agent inside Yasser Arafat's PLO. The aide, Hani al-Hasan, was Arafat's personal intelligence chief and most trusted adviser.

IN WAKE OF ISRAELI PULLOUT, EGYPT CONTROLS PA

GAZA CITY [MENL] -- Egypt has taken control of the Palestinian Authority. PA sources said that over the last few months, Egypt has dominated several key areas of Palestinian government, particularly in the Gaza Strip. They said Egypt approves PA decisions regarding the deployment and training of Palestinian security forces, security operations and policy, development projects and senior appointments."They are in every facet of the [Palestinian] Authority in Gaza," a PA source said. "It is correct to say that major decisions are not taken without Egypt's approval."The sources said Egypt's control over the PA increased significantly in wake of the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip on Sept. 12. They said Egypt now controls both sides of the 14-kilometer border with the Gaza Strip.