Two arrested on their way to suicide attack
Israel-Palestine, Local, 1/26/1998

The arrest of two Palestinian residents of Israel proper as they were allegedly on their way to carry out a suicide bombing attack in West Jerusalem shows that even Israel cannot claim full success in aborting suicide attacks, said a Palestinian security source Monday after Israel announced the arrest of the two. The two were arrested Sunday night at separate roadblocks set up by the Israeli army and police. Word of their intention was reportedly sent by the Palestinian security services to Israel as the two had left the Palestinian area in Hebron and headed towards Israel.

Israel, said the security source, has been demanding that Palestine stop all sorts of attacks on Israelis and has blamed the Palestinian government for every failure. "Now I would like to see what they say in light of their failure to locate the two potential suiciders though they come from within Israel proper," he said.

The two men, whose identity had not been released for publication, were members of Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Israeli police sources said. Israeli minister of police, Avigdor Kahalani, said the two were arrested as they were on their way to carry out an attack within Israel's border. "Luckily for us, our men arrested the two in time before the second explosion," he said. Kahalani confirmed that security cooperation between the Palestine National Authority and Israel is taking place despite the present impasse in the peace process. Kahalani refused to answer a question on whether cooperation between the two sides had led to the arrest of the two men.

The head of the General Palestinian Security Services, Major General Amin Al Hindi and his deputy, Brigadier General Tewfiq Tirawi, head of the West Bank Security Services, had arrived in Hebron Sunday night in what was described as a social visit to have a fast breaking meal with city notables. But Palestinian sources said the two senior security officials were in Hebron in part of their direct involvement in locating the two potential suicide bombers. Israeli sources quoted security officials in Israel as saying that the word on the two potential suicide attackers had come from both Al Hindi and Tirawi.

Israel radio reported Monday that Israeli police and army officers were tipped off on Sunday night about the intention of the two detainees. Immediately afterward, Israeli police, border guards and army units went on maximum alert. The police stationed dozens of checkpoints throughout the city of Jerusalem and surrounding it, and large traffic jams added to the chaos in the city. High alert was also declared in other cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. Israeli police had been deploying their forces in Jerusalem over the past few days as Muslims were heading toward the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. Following the Sunday night alert, those forces were backed up with more troops.

The state of alert among Israel's army and police forces is expected to remain in full gear at least until after the feast of Id Al Adha that marks either on Wedneday or Thursday the end of the Holy Month of Ramadan. Israel had said its troops were on alert because a new round of a Palestinian uprising is expected should all efforts to revive the peace process fall apart. ³We have yet to identify particular activities towards the renewal of the Intifada, but in order to begin rioting much preparation is not necessary,² Israel Chief of Staff Amnon Shahak told the cabinet in its weekly meeting on Sunday.

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