Israeli Intelligence Officers Doubt Hamas Involved In Incident That Sparked Gaza Assault & Invasion

[bigtree]

Sheera Frenkel ‏@sheeraf 18m
Israeli Intelligence Officers Doubt Hamas Involvement In Incident That Sparked Gaza War: http://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/israeli-intelligence-officers-doubt-hamas-involvement-in-inc …

“We have come to conclude that these men were acting on their own.”

HEBRON, West Bank — Three weeks into Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, Israeli security officials are no closer to finding the men held responsible for the killings that sparked the assault, and some of those working on the case are strongly rejecting the Israeli government’s assertion that the alleged killers were linked to the militant group Hamas . . .

. . . one Israeli intelligence officer who works in the West Bank and is intimately involved in investigating the case spoke to BuzzFeed on condition of anonymity and said he felt the kidnapping had been used by politicians trying to promote their own agenda.

“That announcement was premature,” the intelligence officer said. “If there was an order, from any of the senior Hamas leadership in Gaza or abroad, this would be an easier case to investigate. We would have that intelligence data. But there is no data, so we have come to conclude that these men were acting on their own.”

Former Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin, who long oversaw Israel’s security operation in the West Bank, recently told Der Spiegel he did not believe Hamas was not behind the kidnapping.

“Hamas didn’t want this war at first either. But as things often are in the Middle East, things happened differently. It began with the kidnapping of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank. From what I read and from what I know about how Hamas operates, I think that the Hamas political bureau was taken by surprise. It seems as though it was not coordinated or directed by them,” said Diskin.


read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/israeli-intelligence-officers-doubt-hamas-involvement-in-inc

related:

Question remains whether assaults were launched to punish Hamas for something it didn't do
http://www.fair.org/blog/2014/07/28/why-is-israel-attacking-gaza/

BBC Reporter Jon Donnison Doubled-Down On His Claims About The 3 Israeli Teens & Hamas
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025295737

Turns Out Hamas Likely Didn’t Kidnap and Kill the 3 Israeli Teens After All
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025292409

[louis-t]

1. That's ok, it's not like Netanyahu needs an excuse

any more. Not like he's going to say "Oh, sorry, my bad" and bring his troops home.

[bigtree]

3. a documented revelation about this

. . . might help turn international opinion against this assault and invasion. The question was important enough in Netanyahu's mind before the missiles and rockets started flying that he promised to provide what he called clear evidence about the abductions to the 'world' to force Abbas to distance his unity government from Hamas.

Not everything is zero-sum, although many folks with singular aims and interests would have us believe so.

[malaise]

2. Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Don't mess with the narrative

[Uncle Joe]

4. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bigtree.

[Avalux]

5. Sounds eerily familiar....like something in our recent history.....

something about Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction and mushroom clouds....and the US just had to start a war to stop him before he blew us all to smithereens.

Let's not stop to be sure of the fucking facts before we start bombing innocent people. Better yet, let's move on with the bombing campaign not caring what the facts are.