Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
This one is straight out of le Carré.
On the evening of February 18, Dirar Abu Sisi, a 41-year-old engineer from Gaza and director of its sole power station, boarded a train in Kharkiv in the Ukraine, bound for Kiev. In the early hours of February 19, two men in civilian garb were seen by the train's conductor and porter entering Abu Sisi's compartment. Shortly thereafter, the men were observed escorting Abu Sisi off the train.
Abu Sisi vanished completely until eight days later, when he called his wife to tell her he was in a prison cell near Ashkelon, on the southern coast of Israel. Nothing more was heard until March 20, when Israel announced that Abu Sisi was being held in "administrative detention," a British Mandate-era legal status generally employed with regard to security prisoners. The Ukrainian conductor and porter have retracted their statements and now claim to have seen nothing on the train, and the Ukrainian government has denied any involvement in either the capture or the rendition.
When Abu Sisi's capture became public, the first wave of news indicated that he is thought to have information about the status of Gilad Shalit, the kidnapped Israeli soldier who has been held hostage by Hamas for over four years. That may still turn out to be the case, but it appears that there is a great deal more to Dirar Abu Sisi.
Abu Sisi is believed to have been recruited into Hamas' weapons developing committee in 2002. He quickly rose through the ranks, eventually running the committee. In 2009, following Operation Cast Lead, Hamas apparently decided to establish a military academy. Abu Sisi was given the task of setting it up and running it.
The creation of the academy is but one of many striking details to emerge from Abu Sisi's interrogation. If the intelligence is to be believed, Hamas has developed a military capability on the level of what one might expect from an established country. They have moved well beyond gatherings in basements for lessons on how to build suicide belts. Over the past five years, their weapons capacity has apparently increased four-fold, and their military apparatus has evolved to the point that it entails not only brigades, battalions and special forces, but also an in-house defense industry. Abu Sisi's skills are alleged to have been behind the rapid development of that industry.
The indication of in-house weapons manufacture is particularly interesting. As the Jerusalem Post suggests, that initiative might reflect a desire on Hamas's part to "become independent one day of its patrons in Tehran and Damascus. It could also be a sign of Hamas concern that one day Israel, Egypt and the rest of the world will begin to take more effective steps to prevent arms smuggling to Gaza, meaning that its supply from Iran will slow down."
Yesterday, Israel's Southern District Prosecution in Beersheva handed down an indictment alleging that Abu Sisi -- who emphatically denies any connection to Hamas -- "was engaged in the development of missiles to be launched by Hamas, including increasing their range and ability to pierce steel so as to penetrate armored vehicles and thus strike at soldiers. Abu Sisi is accused of nine charges regarding activity in a terrorist organization, hundreds of counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and production of weaponry offenses."
The indictment also names a Ukrainian professor at the Kharkov Military Engineering Academy, Konstantin Petrovich, as Abu Sisi's mentor. Petrovich is identified as "an expert in Scud missile control systems," and it is from him that Abu Sisi -- who completed a doctorate in electrical engineering at Kharkov -- allegedly "acquired extensive knowledge in missile development, control systems, propulsion and stabilization."
The indictment alleges that under Abu Sisi's direction, Hamas lengthened the range of its homemade Qassams from six to 22 kilometers, and the armor penetration capability of its anti-tank missiles from six to 26 centimeters. Abu Sisi is believed to have been developing a mortar shell that could penetrate meter-thick armor and damage a Merkava tank. The indictment claims, too, that Hamas has attempted to acquire Russian anti-aircraft missiles, as well as missiles that could hit Israeli naval vessels.
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Comments :
Jul '10
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
Where does a crappy little rump state like Gaza get the money to develop such military capability?
Feb '11
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
Governments give them money ostensibly to feed their poor. Organizations with names like "Holy Land Foundation" collect money from individuals - and launder money from support groups.
Much has been written on this, though I don't recall anything significant recently. there was a woman named Rachel Ehrenfeld who used to write alot about that.
May '10
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
Don't we give them aid as well? There's a easy budget line item to snip. Send the cessation of all Palestinian aid as a separate measure, we could get a solid bipartisan majority.
Interesting that the Ukraine is helping Hamas, while Russia is cozying up to Israel.
Oct '10
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
Of course, when Hitler disavowed the SS as a part of the Nazi government, America and England, having great respect for international law, backed way down on the pressure on Germany, prolonging the war for 8 more years.
What??? That didn't happen?? Wonder why??
Neat trick we keep falling for. Is Iran the real sacred land??
Jun '10
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
I believe they've received a few checks signed by Hilary Clinton, compliments of the U. S Taxpayer (that would be you and me). You know, humanitarian aid.
A couple of other questions:
Speaking of Le Carre, did George Smiley come out of retirement to help catch him? Or was it Gabriel Allon?
Isn't it amazing how he is being handled by Israel? Indicted. If this were an Israeli in the hands of Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria,or Iran, he'd be dead. Will Israel get credit? No. They'll be criticized for engaging in international kidnapping.
Jun '10
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
Interesting Ukraine connection. Ukraine has been busted more than once supplying arms to Sudan, etc. There's no ideological bent to it, they're just desperate for money, and of course, grossly corrupt. They have the luxury of essentially being a neutral country, but possessing vast amounts of expertise in military equipment production courtesy of their Soviet past.
I'm also intrigued how Sisi got picked up on the train. You can buy a train ticket in Ukraine without giving your name, so you can travel anonymously very easily. Obviously, the Israelis were tailing him, but I wonder why they nabbed him there where it could have been witnessed quite easily. Of course, the retraction of the story by the witnesses was undoubtedly "suggested" by Ukrainian authorities because they clearly don't want to be busted for the aiding and abetting of a terrorist. Still, Ukraine has some 'splaining to do.
Re: Gazan Engineer Indicted; Hamas's Military Capability Exposed
Indeed. Abu Sisi's got a Ukrainian wife, and was apparently in town visiting the in-laws and trying to arrange the relocation of his family. His desire to get them out of Gaza may (or may not) have had something to do with the fate of three of his high-level Hamas compatriots, all of whom were killed by Israel in targeted assassinations.
Abu Sisi's wife, by the way, while insisting that he is not and has never been a Hamasnik, instantly jumped to the conclusion that he'd been whacked by the Israelis when he didn't get off the train at his destination.
As far as the capture off the train is concerned, there is a lot of talk flying around that the men who entered his compartment were Mossad. That's possible, but there's reason to suspect that they were in fact Ukrainian agents working in concert with us. Abu Sisi says that after he was transported to Kiev, another six men appeared and introduced themselves as members of Mossad.