'West Bank Rocket War'
Terror leader announces start of barrage nearing Israel's main population
centers
By Aaron Klein WorldNetDaily.com July 12, 2006
FROM WND'S JERUSALEM BUREAU
www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51022

JERUSALEM -- While Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip have been contending
with almost daily missile attacks, Palestinian rockets will now also be
launched regularly on the other side of the country aimed at Jewish
communities a few miles from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, Abu Oudai, a chief
rocket coordinator for the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Judea and Samaria
told WorldNetDaily in an exclusive interview.

Abu Oudai claimed major Israeli cities and the country's international
airport would eventually become Palestinian rocket targets, particularly
following Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's planned withdrawal from most of Judea
and Samaria, which borders Israel's main population centers.

Judea and Samaria is also commonly called the West Bank.

Abu Oudai said his group has the ability to produce rockets in northern
Samaria - a claim denied by the Israeli army. He hinted at possible help in
developing rockets from Iran, Syria and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.

"Our goal is to cover all Israeli regions and to bring them inside the
distance of our rockets," said Abu Oudai, speaking from Nablus in northern
Samaria.

"Every Israeli site or city is inside our capabilities and if some sites are
not yet they will be very soon. The Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem
every site and city will be targeted. We are speaking about a new era in the
conflict between us and the enemy."

The rocket master's statements follow a series of claims by the Al Aqsa
Brigades of firing rockets the past few days from the northern Samaria towns
of Telkarem and Jenin targeting Jewish communities nearby. Brigades leaders
called WorldNetDaily to take credit for the rocket launchings, which they
said fell short of their intended goals, landing instead in Palestinian
areas.

They promised more missile firings.

Security officials say any Judea and Samaria missile attack would open a
whole new front of rocket targets against Jewish communities in the
territories and against neighboring cities, including Jerusalem.

The Israeli Defense Forces has not yet officially confirmed this week's
claimed northern Samaria rocket attacks. Palestinian and Jordanian officials
said the attacks indeed took place.

The Al Aqsa Brigades has the past few months previously claimed they fired
rockets from northern Samaria. The IDF denied the claims only to later
release select information stating some rockets had been fired from the
area.

Security analysts maintain publicity about terror groups' current missile
capabilities in the territories could generate criticism of Olmert's Judea
and Samaria withdrawal plan.

Abu Oudai said the missile firings from Telkarem and Jenin were "only the
very beginning of our blessed operation of launching rockets from the West
Bank against Israeli cities. In the next days and from now on the falling of
rockets in the enemy territory [in and near the West Bank] will not be
strange and rare.

"In a previous interview with you we promised that the next stage of our
struggle in the West Bank will be characterized by the shooting of rockets."

Israel minimizing Judea and Samaria rocket threat?

The Al Aqsa leader described his Judea and Samaria rocket infrastructure:

"With the help of Allah we succeeded to transfer rockets and technology that
will bring in the very next days the number of rockets in the West Bank to
hundreds. As for the kinds of rockets, they are very similar to the rockets
in Gaza but here in the West Bank we are making huge efforts to improve
them, especially their accuracy and distance."

He said his group has stockpiles in northern Samaria of primitive versions
of the Qassam rocket.

Qassams are improvised steel rockets, about four feet in length, filled with
explosives and fuel. They can travel between one and four miles depending on
the sophistication of the particular rocket

The IDF says terror groups abilities to produce rockets in Judea and Samaria
are minimal.

But Abu Oudai rejected the Israeli statements, claiming his group
"absolutely" has the ability to manufacture Qassams and other kinds of
rockets in northern Samaria.

"The Israeli army said a few years ago that Gaza rockets are nothing and
that they don't present any threat to the security of Israel and its
citizens," Abu Oudai said. "Now we all know what is the truth and what is
the real situation. Every day our rockets in Gaza become more accurate and
do more killing and this is exactly what will happen in the West Bank.

"It is their own business that they deny and minimize. But in the coming
days the proofs on the ground will be very clear to the average Israeli in
the street and not only to the Israeli political and military leadership."

Abu Oudai, though, admitted to problems with his group's Judea and Samaria
rocket infrastructure.

"We have the capabilities of producing the rockets in the West Bank and we
are also smuggling from Gaza, but I will be honest and sincere with you that
our weakest point is the lack of experience in the West Bank. But we are
working very hard to solve this problem.

'No fear' of Israeli retaliation

Asked if the Al Aqsa Brigades received any outside help to its missile
development program, Abu Oudai explained, "It is our right to receive any
help from anybody and our doors is open to every support, from Syria, Iran,
Hezbollah or anyone who wants to help and to support the Palestinian
people."

Prior to Israel's withdrawal from Gaza last August, then-Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon threatened an "unprecedented response" to any rocket firing
carried out by terror groups after Israel vacated the territory.

For the past ten months, until Israel sent ground troops into Gaza last
month, the Israeli army mostly responded to the regular rocket attacks with
aerial and artillery fire, failing to stop or even slow the rate of rocket
attacks.

Abu Oudai said he does not fear Israeli retaliation for his group's planned
rocket launchings from Judea and Samaria.

"I heard many time the expression of unprecedented response. The only
unprecedented thing is the frequency of the Israeli 'empty threats.' We are
not afraid and we have nothing to fear," said Abu Oudai.