JERUSALEM: Israel defends its undercover military operations against Palestinians in occupied territories

Record ID: 862736

  • Title: JERUSALEM: Israel defends its undercover military operations against Palestinians in occupied territories
  • Date: 23rd June 1991
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (JUNE 23, 1991) (REUTERS (W)) GV PAN EXTERIOR, CABINET OFFICE 0.04 SV PAN INTERIOR SHAMIR ARRIVES FOR CABINET MEETING 0.11 CUS, GVS CABINET IN SESSION (4 SHOTS) 0.18 SV, CUS OLMERT LEAVING KNESSET AND SPEAKING (ENGLISH) (3 SHOTS) 0.47 CU ZEEVI COMMENTING (ENGLISH) 1.00 CU SHAMIR COMMENTING AND LEAVING (ENGLISH) 1.27 TRANSCRIPTS SEQUENCE 4, OLMERT: "I THINK THAT THE OPERATION OF THESE UNITS IS A PROOF THAT WE HAVE LEARNED THE LESSON, THAT WE HAVE DRAWN THE PROPER CONCLUSIONS AND THAT WE ARE NOT USING INDISCRIMINATE FORCE AGAINST INDIVIDUALS BUT ONLY AGAINST THOSE WHO ARE FOUND TO BE DIRECTLY AND PERSONALLY INVOLVED IN TERRORIST ACTIVITIES, AND THEREFORE I THINK IT'S A VERY TIMELY PUBLICATION." TRANSCRIPT SEQUENCE 5, ZEEVI: "IT WAS A MISTAKE IN MY OPINION. I WAS NOT CONVINCED BY THE CHIEF OF STAFF WITH HIS ARGUMENTS, NOT ONLY ME BUT THE MAJORITY OF MY COLLEAGUES WERE NOT CONVINCED. IT WAS A MISTAKE AND A MISTAKE CAN BE DONE." TRANSCRIPT SEQUENCE 6, SHAMIR: "THERE ARE MANY OPINIONS ABOUT IT AND I THINK THAT THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE WILL HAVE TO SAY HIS OPINION ABOUT IT" REPORTER: "WHAT IS YOUR OPINION ABOUT IT?' SHAMIR: "WELL, I RELY ON OUR MINISTER OF DEFENCE" REPORTER: IF IT WAS YOUR DECISION WHAT WOULD YOU DO?" SHAMIR: "I SAID ALREADY, I AM WAITING FOR THE OPINION OF OUR MINISTER."
  • Embargoed: 8th July 1991 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Jerusalem, Israel, Jerusalem
  • City:
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAAT88T2J8COXQZHJLKPL1IPKSS
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Israel on Sunday (June 23) defended its undercover military operations against Palestinians in the occupied territories, declaring that the government was using force only against individuals directly involved in guerrilla activities.
    Minister of Health Ehud Olmert told reporters after the weekly cabinet session that the operations, confirmed on Israeli television, prevented the use of indiscriminate force against individuals.
    Rechavam Zeevi, leader of the right-wing Moledet Party, threatened to withdrew from the coalition government after the disclosure about the undercover squads, in which soldiers dressed as civilians to arrest wanted Arabs. Zeevi said releasing this kind of information to the "enemy" was contrary to any effort to fight the Palestinian uprising and "highlights Israel's weakness".
    Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir told reporters that he would not comment until he heard Defence Minister Ariel Sharon's opinion.
    Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, deputy chairman of parliament's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and a former military governor in the occupied territories, called for parliamentary inquiry.
    Palestinians allege that the undercover squads sometimes kill, rather than arrested suspects, but the military has denied this.
    <strong>Source: REUTERS - ELI BUCHBINDER, REUTERS (W)</strong>
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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