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Yassir Arafat, using American and European donor money has once again been caught augmenting his arsenal of weapons, in advance of openly declaring full scale war against Israel. Arafat has been caught trying to smuggle in 50 tons in 83 crates of assorted weapons via ship through the Red Sea and the Egyptian Suez Canal. A short list of those weapons discovered so far were mostly of Iranian origin, including short range and long range 122mm Katyusha rockets (with a 20 km. range), Sagger and LAW anti-tank missiles, 120 mm mortars, mines, advanced explosive equipment, weapons and sniper rifles, ammunition and much more.

The ship, named the Karin-A was a 4,000 ton vessel with tons of warfare materials that were packed in 83 crates sealed inside waterproof containers which could float underwater with a small buoy marking its position. Most of the crates have not yet been opened so a full inventory will follow later.

DARING SEA CAPTURE OF ARAFAT’S ARSENAL FROM IRAN

The freighter, the Karin-A owned by the Palestinian Authority and captained by a P.A. naval policeman, was captured by a dazzling IDF (Israel Defense Forces) action by the Israeli Naval commandos before dawn on Thursday, January 3rd , some 500 nautical miles from Israel in the Red Sea. The operation, code-named Noah’s Ark (Tevat Noah) was brilliantly implemented with Sa’ar combat helicopters and various Air force airplanes. Troops and commandos boarded the ship and the Elat Division’s Dabur missile boats escorted the ship to the Eilat pier.

Israeli Television Channel One military correspondent, Ron Yishai reported that Israel had filmed the interrogation of the ship’s captain, Omar Akawi, deputy commander of the Palestinian Authority Naval Police who said he was bringing the weapons to the Gaza Strip. The films were released to the world but, up till now the full story has been suppressed as much as possible to protect Arafat and Zinni’s mission. (See references in Part 2: HOW IT WAS REPORTED)

Arafat has for years been smuggling arms into Gaza in via tunnels from Egypt, presumably with their knowledge. There was a steady stream of weapons being smuggled in and stored mostly in Gaza. Some of the tunnels were discovered and blasted closed. (Something like what is happening now in Afghanistan.) Other smaller boats have been captured but many probably got through with their cargoes of weapons.

Arafat has been preparing for a war with Israel, which comes as no surprise to American and European Intelligence. Many of Arafat’s arms’ purchases initiated in Europe, were observed by various intelligence agencies and duly reported to their governments. Interests in the U.S. and Europe connected to Arab oil nations simply chose not to do anything about it. Not unlike the Arabist State Department which allowed the influx of Muslim terrorists from Saudi Arabia, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, Sudan, Egypt, etc. into America pandering to Arab oil interests.

"Report on Arab First Strike Preparations in YESHA"

I remind the reader that in 1998, Mordecai Sones in Israel reported that Arafat was gathering weapons in anticipation of an attack on Israeli towns, villages, etc. in Judea and Samaria with the objective being to kill and take hostages. He listed them in a document called: "Report on Arab First Strike Preparations in YESHA" . The Leftist government knowing that the smuggling was taking place, denied the report and turned a blind eye to the Palestinian Authority’s stockpiling of weapons. In effect, the Leftist dominated government becoming a knowledgeable co-conspirator with Arafat’s plans to overrun the West Bank whenever possible. (1)

It’s no accident that Rabin and Peres supplied Arafat’s Police ‘cum’ terrorists with automatic weapons in abundance. (Don’t try to figure that one out. Just put it down to aberrant behavior and a plan to see the territories of Judea, Samaria, Gaza and the Golan Heights made ‘Judenrein’). However, this time, with the U.S. State Department out of the loop and no possible leaks to such Arab friends as the Saudi Prince Bandar, former Sec. of Defense Caspar Weinberger’s good friend, the Palestinian ship was tracked as follows:

DOCUMENTED EVIDENCE ABOUT CAPTURE OF PLO ARMS-FOR-WAR SHIP

The DEBKAfile was first to expose that the capture of the Palestinian arms freighter was the product of close U.S.-Israel intelligence, naval and air force collaboration. It lifted the veil off a corner of the secret joint operations between the two countries in the sea ranging from the southern approaches of the Persian Gulf near the Yemeni island of Socrata and Djibouti and the Red Sea gateway of Bab el Mandeb.

The U.S. Fifth Fleet maintains two large bases in Socatra and the Yemeni port of Hodeida. Israel has the use of a large naval, air and intelligence base on Eritrea’s Red Sea Dalahk Archipelago that commands the routes from the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. Until the middle of the first week in January, the U.S. and Israel worked together out of those bases to cut off the escape routes of al Qaeda and Taliban fugitives in flight from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

DEBKAfile was the first to expose one of those escape routes as running through south Tehran. DEBKA sources now reveal that U.S. spy satellites tracking that route picked up the Palestinian arms ship, debarking from an Iranian port. An Israeli Dolphin submarine took part in the surveillance. As the Karine-A reached Djibouti, it was signaled by radio to turn north into the Red Sea. The Israeli Air Force and Navy swung into rapid action [on January 1st]. On the night of January 3rd, Israeli Sikorsky and Black Hawk helicopter transports dropped one group of frogmen on the deck of the Palestinian freighter, while [Israeli Naval frogmen] approached in rubber dinghies, climbed up its hull. (2)

Some frogmen swam to and surrounded the ship. "We climbed onto the ship at the same time as the helicopter commandos rappelled down to the deck. There were 40 of us on the ship’s deck. Four more helicopters beamed their lights down on us and our captives. We went down into the storage and lower deck and saw crate after crate of ammunition. The Katyushas, the anti-tank missiles and the heavy arms were spread out everywhere. Our Navy personnel took over the helm of the ship as Y....’s group which included me began to photograph and organize the entire arms depot on board. My commanding officer spoke Arabic to the captain whom he had recognized from Gaza City port. This was definitely PLO country as the personnel began to ‘sing’ and talk about who registered the boat, who paid for the arms and what port in Iran the ship had left. We found all types of paperwork and Yassir’s signatures and approvals’ stamps were everywhere. Yassir denied any knowledge of this ship. Wait till the media meets a few of Yassir’s employees caught on board to disclose the truth about this ship. I am sure we saved some lives, thousands of Jewish lives, from this ship’s capture." courtesy of Y.M. Frogman, IDF Navy, Shayetet 13 Unit. (4) [Emphasis ours: See Part II]

They overpowered the 13 man Palestinian Marin Police crew without a shot. Gen. Shaul Mofaz, Israel’s Chief of Staff canceled a scheduled trip to Washington and was overhead in the command and control aircraft monitoring and controlling the mission along with OC Navy Admiral Yedidya Ya’ari and OC Air Force Major-General Dan Halutz.

The captain was identified as Colonel Omar Akawi, a senior officer of the Palestinian Naval Police with two other Palestinian Naval officers on board. The rest of the crew was from Egypt and Jordan, plus one ‘trainer’ connected with Hezb’Allah (this later proved false).

The PA began its weapons purchase and transport plans in October 2000. Adel Moghrabi, the main weapons’ purchaser of the PA, with PA Naval Police commander Juma’a Ghali and his deputy, Fathi Ghazem made contact with the Iranians and Hezb’Allah agents to smuggle large quantities of weapons to the PA.. Their intended route was through the Egyptian controlled Suez Canal. The weapons were to be off-loaded into 3 smaller ships that were to deposit the water-tight crates at sea off the Gaza Strip where the Palestinian Naval Police was to retrieve it. (3)

No doubt, the recent relaxation by Prime Minister Sharon that restricted Palestinian fishing boats from Gaza would have greatly assisted recovery of the weapons’ crates.

ARAFAT’S WEAPONS’ STOCKPILE IN LEBANON (1982)

A little relevant history: After King Hussein drove Arafat out of Jordan in a bloody action the Palestinians called Black September, the PLO took over Lebanon, causing a Civil War between Muslims and Christians that killed more than 100,000 Lebanese civilians. After hundreds of cross-border terrorist attacks against Israel and certain intelligence about Arafat’s hostile intentions, then Defense Minister Ariel (Arik) Sharon crossed into Lebanon to root his terrorist PLO out. That was the Lebanon War of 1982. As Israeli troops swept forward beyond the Litani River and onwards toward Beirut, they discovered man-made caves that had been dug by a tunnel-boring machine Arafat had purchased from (or was gifted by) the Austrians. This machine excavated long tunnels which Arafat used to store a huge tonnage of weapons and ammunition. Everything needed for an army and war was there in abundance, including the documents describing Arafat’s coming planned assault against Israel. (5)

Arafat had used his hoard of dollars to purchase countless cases of well-preserved machine guns, rifles, shoulder-fired missiles, grenades, RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades), explosives, ammunition, etc. All of this material came from several countries, including Syria, Iran, Iraq, China, Russia, ‘et al’. The caves were located so as to pre-position the weapons to be available for Arafat’s Palestinians and other terrorist organizations which operated between Syria, Iran and Arafat’s PLO. This was to be coordinated with a full scale attack by the named Arab nations.

It took Israel hundreds of truck loads to confiscate and empty this vast arsenal. Arafat’s plans to conquer Israel were thwarted for the moment as he and his army were pushed out of Lebanon into Tunisia. There he would have remained except for the successful efforts of the Labor Party, guided by Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin. They thought ‘it would be a good idea’ to resurrect Arafat and make him the key negotiator of the Oslo Accords and the recipient of the heartland of Israel, Judea, Samaria and Gaza (including vital parts of Jerusalem). Naturally, the U.S. Arabist State Department had their fingerprints all over this arrangement.

So, here we are again in a direct extension of Arafat’s continued war plans and his cave of munitions in Lebanon. Nothing, not one iota of Arafat’s plans to eliminate the Jewish State of Israel has changed. The same players are still there. The European donors supply money and, in some cases, provide the weapons.

We still observe the U.S. Congress saying: "Tsk! Tsk!" even though they have been provided with specific information about Arafat’s War Plans. They, along with a series of American Presidents, continue to supply money to Arafat, which they know will never go beyond Arafat’s pockets and his terrorist network. These are the same Presidents and the same U.S. Arabist State Department who allowed al Qaeda to flourish and flood our nations with sleeper Muslim terrorist cells. All of this comes under the one umbrella of the multi-national oil companies and appeasing the Arab nations. Part of that appeasement was to go along with their Islamic driven hatred of Israel and the Islamists’ desire to destroy the Jewish State completely.

What is that phrase about "Cast your bread upon the waters and it shall return to you multi-fold"? Well, we did and it came back to haunt us with the threatened use of NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical) Weapons of Mass Destruction which we in the Free West had provided to the primitive Arab/Muslim nations. Global Terrorism, Incorporated was birthed by we in the West acting as the enablers, the midwives. Arafat, Osama bin Laden and the nations of Syria, Iraq, Iran including Egypt (who will soon fall to Islamic fervor) - perhaps Jordan whose population is 70% Palestinian - are Frankenstein monsters we helped create and nurture. Yassir Arafat has been an organic part of the Global Terrorist Network since the inception of the PLO in 1964.

The 50 tons of weapons is a nice coup and capturing it was a fantastic operation, but doesn’t compare with what has already been smuggled into the PA controlled territory since the infamous handshake on the White House Lawn when the Oslo Accords were signed September 13, 1993.

Arafat’s role in the next war was to disrupt Israel’s rush to her borders when the coordinated war begins by Syria, Iran, Iraq and (likely) Egypt. Israel could handle Arafat’s mini-war IF it was only limited to that. But, thanks to the Oslo Gang, Israel’s defense will be met with road-mines, anti-tank missiles, attacks on her civilian population - with the arms smuggled in and ready to be used. Israel, who relies heavily on her Air Force, will suddenly have to fly sorties through ground-to-air shoulder-fired missiles from nearby Palestinian villages. Some of these missiles will be American Stingers, transferred years ago to Iran from Afghanistan and now in the hands of Arafat. But, there are the dozens of other capable missiles funded and sourced by the French, Russians, Germans, etc. These missiles will probably be launched from the nearby Palestinian villages and cities which Israel was forced to turn over to Arafat under Oslo. Recall that Israel is only 50 miles wide at her widest point. This was to be further narrowed and truncated to 10 miles wide - courtesy of the Oslo gang, putting Ben Gurion Airport and the coastal plain with 70% of Israel’s civilian population in easy range.

At this time, Marine Corps General (Ret.) Zinni is attempting to have Israel stand down her modest incursion into Arafat’s ‘gifted’ areas. Israel may not penetrate and destroy Arafat’s major weapons’ caches because it would ‘disturb’ President Bush’s so-called Coalition for the War against Global Terrorism. Arafat is to be preserved, much the same as Saddam Hussein was preserved even if Israel is forced into extraordinary jeopardy.

Arafat is to be scrubbed and resuscitated as the Palestinian Terrorist messiah. Protecting and funding terrorists seem to be what we do best in our pursuit of Black Gold. I wonder what the American people will think when a small radiation device goes off in the heart of Wall Street and we have to rip up the radio-active pavement and strip the stone facade of all buildings in the area.

As we forced Israel to put up with terror so too have we, ourselves allowed and nurtured terrorism our own soil. There is a parallel war being fought in Washington between those who really wish to snuff out Global Terrorism and Arabists in Washington who have a vested interest in Arab oil nations. The U.S. State Department is perhaps the point man of the Arabists, with Secretary of State Colin L. Powell leading the charge.

On the other side, there are Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle, Condolezza Rice and John Bolton, ‘et al’ who want to clean house and really go after terrorists all around the globe. If Iraq, for example, is spared, then the Arabists and the European Union have won. If Saddam is taken down along with his armory of NBC Weapons of Mass Destruction, then George W. Bush has kept his pledge. And if they find a way to take Arafat out of Israel or neutralize him, then the good guys will have won.

(If you have not seen all of this reported, along with films (both video and still) it is because considerable damage control has been applied to minimize Arafat’s involvement in this smuggling operation -even as he discusses ‘peace’ with Marine Corps Gen. (Ret.) Anthony Zinni

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1. "Report on Arab First Strike Preparations in YESHA" by Mordecai Sones 1998

2. "Major Israeli Haul of Palestinian Weapons’ Cargo" DEBKAfile.com Special Report Jan. 4, 02

3. "Quick & Short, Without Any Opposition" by Arieh Sullivan JERUSALEM POST Jan.7, 02

4. "Friday Night On The Sea" by Y.M. Frogman Shayetet 13 Unit in the Israeli Navy from a live interview on Kol Yisrael Tonight from: FREEMAN CENTER FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES Jan. 6, 02

5. " PLO In Lebanon: Selected Documents" edited by Raphael Israeli Weidenfeld & Nicolson London 1983 & "Now the Story Can Be Told: PLO" by Eliyahu Tal Information Dept. WZO 1982

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