Sunday, November 24, 2002 Kislev 19, 5763 Israel Time: 18:04 (GMT+2)

Last update - 13:04 24/11/2002

By Ze'ev Schiff, Ha'aretz Correspondent

The Palestinian Authority's Preventive Security Organization in the Gaza Strip is attempting to establish a factory for producing large quantities of nitric acid, the most important chemical in making explosives, according to a secret PA document seized in an IDF raid last week.

It appears that the factory is aimed at bypassing the obstacles facing militant organizations in producing or acquiring explosives. Most of the chemicals used by the Palestinians to produce homemade explosives are acquired from Israel. However, in recent weeks the Palestinians have managed to produce explosives with an efficiency near that of military-grade materials.

During an IDF operation in the Gaza Strip last Sunday, a document was seized in the Preventive Security Organization's headquarters in Tel al-Hiweh describing the setting up of the factory as a "strategic project." The document, classified by the organization as "secret," was addressed to the deputy head of preventive security in Gaza, Rasheed Abu Shubak. An analysis of the document revealed that the plant's annual production capacity of nitric acid was to have reached 15 tons. Successful production at such levels could lead to the production of military grade explosives, such as TNT or RDX.

Israeli defense analysts pointed out that the Preventive Security Organization intended to provide all the Palestinian militant organizations, including those opposed to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, with explosives. Similarly, the PA provides arms to the organizations, among them Hamas.

One of the most serious failures in the IDF's confrontation with the Palestinians has been the smuggling across the Green Line of chemicals used in the production of explosives that are used for suicide bombings. The Palestinian militant organizations suffer from a shortage of military-grade explosives. According to the Oslo Accords, acquiring or producing such explosives is strictly forbidden. On occasion, the groups have managed to acquire small quantities of TNT by dismantling mines purchased from Bedouin who have found them in the Sinai.

The militant groups solved the problem when it was discovered that chemicals normally found in fertilizers are used to produce homemade explosives. The chemicals include nitric acid - the "bottleneck" of explosives production - urea nitrate, nitroglycol and nitroglycerin. These chemicals are not produced in the territories, while some are manufactured in Israel and others are imported.

More than a year after the outbreak of the intifada, an order was issued forbidding the importation of nitric acid to the Palestinian territories. However, smuggling of the chemical from Israel continued with ease. The IDF has repeatedly urged various ministries to enforce strict regulations on the sale to the territories of chemicals used in the production of explosives. These regulations include identifying the buyer and justifying the final purpose for the materials and the reason for requiring such large quantities of chemicals. Nonetheless, no thorough measures have been implemented, and the production of the explosives has continued unabated.

The document seized last week was signed by an employee of the Palestinian Authority's Agriculture Ministry, Mohammed Anwar Bardawil (Abu Hashem). He is known to have assisted the chief sapper of the Preventive Security Organization, Talal Mahisan, who has links to the Islamic Jihad.

Bardawil noted in the document that "in view of the importance of the acid [nitric acid] for the production of strategic materials, and in view of the difficulties in acquiring them under the current conditions, and in line with your request that this be available, I recommend the factory for its production."

He also pointed out the "secondary nature" of the expenses involved, primarily the large consumption of electricity, which is supplied by Israel, "since the factory is strategic."

Bardawil said that "in order to retain the secrecy of the project, I recommend that they [the workers] will not be identifiable as belonging to the Preventive Security Organization, and that I determine the qualifications required for this job."

-- Anonymous, November 24, 2002