Jerusalem — After five months of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israeli military and civilian officials have concluded that the situation is no longer tenable and soon they will have to do something about it.
Among options being discussed is the possibility of reoccupying territory controlled by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, according to Israeli security sources.
"The situation, as it is, is unbearable," said Maj. Gen. Moshe Yaalon, the army deputy chief of staff. "Within a few weeks or months we will have to decide what to do with it. There is a consensus on that."
The consensus seems to have strengthened in the last several weeks, a period of intensified daily gunfights and grenade and mortar attacks that has coincided roughly with the time since the electoral victory Feb. 6 by Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon, a hardline former general who repeatedly has promised to guarantee Israelis' security.
In an exceptionally blunt assessment Wednesday, Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz, the Israeli army chief of staff, said Arafat's self-governing Palestinian Authority is becoming a "terrorist entity" instead of a peace partner.
In a speech to the governing board of the Jewish Agency for Israel, a pro-immigration organization, Mofaz warned of further deterioration and said the Palestinians are vigorously stockpiling arms and ammunition.
In a brief interview, he said the option of retaking Palestinian-controlled areas is "a possible direction," but added: "I'm not sure we'd be happy to do it, especially in built-up areas."
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