Two Rather Depressing Articles from the Jerusalem Post
Analysis: Israeli experts say UK didn't dig deep enough in uprooting Islamists
By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
Conforming to the restrained British character, Thursday's attacks are more likely to lead to measured, surgical steps against terrorists rather than bombastic crackdowns, Israeli counter-terrorism analysts say.
A former senior IDF intelligence officer said the attack was probably linked with al-Qaida and should serve as a catalyst for setting up a global counter-terrorism headquarters. The terror attacks were also likely greatly helped by sleeper cells inside Britain, one analyst said.
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Ya'acov Amidror, a former chief of IDF intelligence assessment, said that post-9/11 – with the exception of Madrid – the West had been able to foil attempted al-Qaida attacks.
Except for Madrid, all major al-Qaida attacks since September 11 were in either Muslim countries or poorly functioning countries like Kenya.
"The key to fighting this global terror network is closer cooperation between the various security agencies in the world," Amidror told Army Radio from London, where he was touring.
Moti Cristal, an expert in negotiation and a fellow at the Institute for Counterterrorism at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, said British security had not been caught sleeping, but rather didn't root out terror cells with enough resolve.
"In the past two years, they have arrested several cells. But this attack shows they didn't go deep enough and this is mainly due to legal and cultural restrictions. Now they will be much freer to go deeper," Cristal predicted.
ETC...
Rules of conflict for a world war
By EFRAIM HALEVY
The multiple, simultaneous explosions that took place yesterday on the London transportation system were the work of perpetrators who had an operational capacity of considerable scope; they have come a long way since the twin acts of the year 1998 against the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam, and the aircraft actions of September 11, 2001.
There was careful planning, intelligence gathering, and a sophisticated choice of timing as well as near-perfect execution. We are faced with a deadly and determined adversary that will stop at nothing and will persevere as long as it exists as a fighting terrorist force.
[snip]
We are in the throes of a world war, raging over the entire globe and characterized by the absence of lines of conflict and an easily identifiable enemy. There are sometimes long pauses between one attack and another, consequently creating the wrong impression that the battle is all over, or at least in the process of being won.
Generally speaking, the populations at large are not involved in the conflict and they are by and large bystanders. But once in a while these innocents are caught up in the maelstrom and suffer the most cruel and wicked of punishments meted out by those who are not bound by any rules of conduct or any norms of structured society. For a while, too short a while, we are engrossed with the sheer horror of what we see and hear, but, with the passage of time, our memories fade and we return to our daily lives and forget that the war is still raging out there and more strikes are sure to follow.
It cannot be said that seven years after this war broke out, in east Africa, we can see its conclusion; we are in for the long haul and we must brace ourselves for more that will follow. The "Great Wars" of the 20th century lasted less than this war has already lasted, and the end is nowhere near in sight.
[snip]
The aim of the enemy is not to defeat Western civilization but to destroy its sources of power and existence, and to render it a relic of the past. It does not seek a territorial victory or a regime change; it wants to turn Western civilization into history and will stop at nothing less than that. It will show no mercy or compassion and no appreciation for these noble values when practiced by us. This does not mean that we can or should assume the norms of our adversaries, nor that we should act indiscriminately. It does mean that the only way that will ensure our safety and security will be if we obtain the destruction, the complete destruction, of the enemy.
[snip]
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By ARIEH O'SULLIVAN
Conforming to the restrained British character, Thursday's attacks are more likely to lead to measured, surgical steps against terrorists rather than bombastic crackdowns, Israeli counter-terrorism analysts say.
A former senior IDF intelligence officer said the attack was probably linked with al-Qaida and should serve as a catalyst for setting up a global counter-terrorism headquarters. The terror attacks were also likely greatly helped by sleeper cells inside Britain, one analyst said.
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Ya'acov Amidror, a former chief of IDF intelligence assessment, said that post-9/11 – with the exception of Madrid – the West had been able to foil attempted al-Qaida attacks.
Except for Madrid, all major al-Qaida attacks since September 11 were in either Muslim countries or poorly functioning countries like Kenya.
"The key to fighting this global terror network is closer cooperation between the various security agencies in the world," Amidror told Army Radio from London, where he was touring.
Moti Cristal, an expert in negotiation and a fellow at the Institute for Counterterrorism at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center, said British security had not been caught sleeping, but rather didn't root out terror cells with enough resolve.
"In the past two years, they have arrested several cells. But this attack shows they didn't go deep enough and this is mainly due to legal and cultural restrictions. Now they will be much freer to go deeper," Cristal predicted.
ETC...
Rules of conflict for a world war
By EFRAIM HALEVY
The multiple, simultaneous explosions that took place yesterday on the London transportation system were the work of perpetrators who had an operational capacity of considerable scope; they have come a long way since the twin acts of the year 1998 against the American embassies in Nairobi and Dar-Es-Salaam, and the aircraft actions of September 11, 2001.
There was careful planning, intelligence gathering, and a sophisticated choice of timing as well as near-perfect execution. We are faced with a deadly and determined adversary that will stop at nothing and will persevere as long as it exists as a fighting terrorist force.
[snip]
We are in the throes of a world war, raging over the entire globe and characterized by the absence of lines of conflict and an easily identifiable enemy. There are sometimes long pauses between one attack and another, consequently creating the wrong impression that the battle is all over, or at least in the process of being won.
Generally speaking, the populations at large are not involved in the conflict and they are by and large bystanders. But once in a while these innocents are caught up in the maelstrom and suffer the most cruel and wicked of punishments meted out by those who are not bound by any rules of conduct or any norms of structured society. For a while, too short a while, we are engrossed with the sheer horror of what we see and hear, but, with the passage of time, our memories fade and we return to our daily lives and forget that the war is still raging out there and more strikes are sure to follow.
It cannot be said that seven years after this war broke out, in east Africa, we can see its conclusion; we are in for the long haul and we must brace ourselves for more that will follow. The "Great Wars" of the 20th century lasted less than this war has already lasted, and the end is nowhere near in sight.
[snip]
The aim of the enemy is not to defeat Western civilization but to destroy its sources of power and existence, and to render it a relic of the past. It does not seek a territorial victory or a regime change; it wants to turn Western civilization into history and will stop at nothing less than that. It will show no mercy or compassion and no appreciation for these noble values when practiced by us. This does not mean that we can or should assume the norms of our adversaries, nor that we should act indiscriminately. It does mean that the only way that will ensure our safety and security will be if we obtain the destruction, the complete destruction, of the enemy.
[snip]
