Special report: Israel launches Gaza assault
Special report:Internal situation in Palestine
JERUSALEM,
Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- Chief of Israeli security agency Shin Bet Yuval Diskin said
on Tuesday that Israel must prepare for a broad military offensive in the Gaza
Strip if Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement continues to become
weak, local media reported.
Diskin made the remarks when he gave testimony before
the Knesset (parliament) Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
"If the Fatah movement continues to weaken in the
face of the extremist elements in the (Palestinian National) Authority, there
will be no alternative but to take action," Diskin said.
"If ... it become impossible to strengthen Fatah,
Israel needs to prepare for a military option in Gaza ... Israel has no good
options in Gaza, there only bad options and we need to choose the least bad of
all," he added.
Diskin warned that the growth of militant forces in
Gaza posed a strategic problem which, if not dealt properly, will result in a
situation similar to Lebanon.
Earlier in the day, a rocket from Gaza landed close
to a children's dormitory on a Western Negev kibbutz. There were no injuries,
but the rocket caused light damage to the room and a nearby factory.
