Tennenbaum�s kidnapper recruiting for Hezbollah

YNet News (Link) - Ali Waked (August 25, 2010)

The Palestinian security apparatus recently conducted a wave of arrests throughout the West Bank of current and past activists suspected of attempting to renew contact with Hezbollah in order to establish infrastructure for the organization in the area, Ynet learned on Wednesday.

A Palestinian security official reported that the Lebanese organization has made significant efforts in recent months to renew its presence in the Palestinian arena in order to carry out terror attacks against Israeli targets in the West Bank and within Israeli territory.

According to the official, Kais Obeid, the man who kidnapped Israeli businessman Elhanan Tennenbaum to Lebanon, is coordinating the recruitment efforts.

The official said that Obeid has recently started contacted dozens of young adults in the West Bank in order to recruit them to Hezbollah�s ranks.

The PA estimates that the growing tensions within Lebanon, the increasing pressure on Iran, and the renewal of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians have all increased the organization�s motivation to claim a stake in the Palestinian territories. However, the source emphasized that the arrested suspects are thought to be low-level operatives with no real connection with the organization.

Hezbollah has made continual attempts in recent years to gain a foothold in the Palestinian arena. A senior IDF official said in the past that the organization is interested in violating the calm in Israel and carrying out terrorist attacks while heavily compensating others for their involvement in them.