Arutz Sheva News Service

INTERVIEW WITH YIGAL CARMON
(former advisor on terrorism to the Prime 
Minister)

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.