ISRAEL: The assassination of the Hamas leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, was a sign that Israel felt "enough is enough", a former chief Israeli negotiator said in Dublin yesterday.
Mr Oren Shachor, who was previously head of military intelligence and governor of the Palestinian territories, claimed the Hamas leader had ordered terrorist operations against Israel.
"He was deeply involved in the terrorist incidents of the Hamas," said Mr Shachor, who was part of an Israeli business delegation visiting Ireland. "He was the man that ordered the operations and all the military actions: he was the man."
Sheikh Yassin might not have been involved at the level of detail, but the Hamas terrorist attacks were approved by him in advance, according to Mr Shachor. "I blame Sheikh Yassin for sending young people." He was sceptical about Hamas claims that Israel had "opened the gates of hell" by killing Sheikh Yassin: "Our message to radical Palestinians is, 'Enough is enough, it's stupid, please stop it'."
Mr Shachor was pessimistic about the prospects for the road map, which the international community, including Ireland, has proposed as a solution to the conflict. "It is very hard from their (Palestinian) side to implement their obligation to collect the weapons; it is very hard to arrest the heads of the Hamas, for example, or Islamic Jihad." The attacks had to stop: "First of all, it must be quiet."
He was dubious about the commitment of Mr Yasser Arafat to the process. "He plays a double game." He claimed Mr Arafat was "the man who initiated the intifada". But there would eventually be a Palestinian state: "We have to find a way around the table and not by sending suicide-bombers, especially children."
Mr Shachor, who retired from the Israeli Defence Forces in 1997 with the rank of major-general and was briefly associated with the Israeli Labour Party, welcomed the proposal of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to close down Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Responding to critics of the Israeli security barrier, Mr Shachor said: "Can we have some suggestions how we can avoid terrorist incidents?" The barrier was "an obstacle" and a temporary one at that. "We shall destroy it if we think, through negotiations, we shall agree about something else." But for now, it was essential to protect the lives of Israelis.
Mr Shachor is president of Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company, which is responsible for a new pipeline transferring mainly Russian oil from tankers in the Mediterranean to Eilat on the Red Sea and onwards to the Far East. He described it as a cheaper alternative to the Suez Canal.