Interview with Terror Expert Yigal Carmon

The following interview with Yigal Carmon, former advisor on terrorism to Israeli prime ministers, was conducted by the independent Israeli radio station Arutz-7 and distributed via their e-mail list. Views expressed are not necessarily those of IRIS or its staff.

Leiah and Jason Elbaum

IRIS

Thursday, March 7, 1996 / Adar 16, 5756 1:30 PM

Q: Whenever I hear members of the opposition being interviewed on the subject of the recent Hamas slaughters, they seem to stumble regarding the connection between the Oslo process and these attacks. I ask you plainly: Is there a connection between the Oslo process and the terrorist attacks, or not?

A: Most certainly there is. The Oslo process enabled these tragedies. As a result of Oslo, Hamas was able to develop in an unprecedented manner, under the protection of the PLO. The entire recent fanatical-religious awakening within Islamic religious education was enabled under PLO protection. The Oslo process also prevented us and our security forces from acting to prevent this growth in extremism.

Q: Do you think that there is a connection between the Palestinian Authority and the terror attacks?

A: There is certainly an indirect connection, because the Authority allows free movement to Hamas members, and supports them and their families. Arafat shows identification and support for the suicide killers and their ideology in all of his speeches. Although it has now been learned that he has indicted certain people who participated in a memorial ceremony for the Engineer, Yichye Ayash, Arafat himself praised Ayash (on January 9, in Dura) as a great warrior. Arafat has appointed Hamas members to high posts in his administration. Only two weeks ago the imam Sheikh Hamad Albetavai called in a speech in El Aksa mosque [in Jerusalem!] for a "Moslem Palestine, from the ocean up to the [Jordan] river." Arafat continues to demand the release of Hamas prisoners held in Israel. He could easily demand of certain imams who are under his authority to issue a religious ban on Hamas killings, but of course he would never do so. Arafat is merely trying to fool the Israeli public.

Q: Despite all of that, it is hard to ignore the public demonstrations by Fatah in favor of the peace process, and the widespread arrests being made by the Palestinians.

A: The demonstrations are mainly in favor of Arafat's leadership, and nothing more. The arrests of hundreds of minor figures is hardly significant, and even foreign news services note this. He has only arrested four of those that Israel included on its list. The main point that must be noted is that on December 22, Arafat and Hamas reached an agreement, according to which Hamas is permitted to continue its "military activities" as long as they do not originate or occur within Area A [areas under Palestinian control]. Since then, all of the terror attacks have been executed exactly according to that agreement.

Q: You seem to know of an agreement that the Government of Israel knows nothing about.

A: That is the claim of the Prime Minister, but this is exactly the tragedy. When he appeared before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and was asked about this, he not only said that he doesn't know anything about such an agreement, he even said that it doesn't interest him. This is an agreement that was publicized in the Arab press, and was even translated into English by a Jerusalem-based Arab agency. It is totally obvious and open to anyone who opens his eyes, but not to one who is afraid to do so because he does not wish to face the reality, or who pretends that he doesn't know the reality.

Recently, Minister Yosi Beilin admitted that the government made a mistake when it allowed Hamas members to cross into Israel in order to meet with PLO officials, in the hope that this would bring Hamas to a level of moderation. This was a mistake that cost a high price in blood.

Q: You have been following the Oslo agreements since their inception. Have the Oslo agreements collapsed?

A: Certainly they have, but this is not a reason to celebrate. The agreements are terrible, but their collapse will also have its heavy price.

Q: You're saying that we're on the road to a war?

A: Yes. I have written about this extensively, in Yediot Acharonot and in the Jerusalem Post. Only two weeks ago, while Peres was boasting that there was no terror, etc., I warned that the boom would fall soon. I even mentioned a date - not October, not May, but right after the withdrawal from Hevron, at the end of March. It happened even sooner than I thought.

Q: Yigal Carmon, former advisor on terrorism to the Prime Minister, thank you very much.

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