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Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Efraim "Effi" Fein-Eitam warned that Palestinians forces would greet the inauguration of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon with a sharp escalation in attacks on Israel, Ben Caspit reported in Maariv. Speaking in a closed forum, Fein predicted that Katyushas and artillery would be fired from Gaza on southern Israeli towns within weeks.

Referring to the sporadic shelling of the isolated Jewish settlement enclave in the Gaza Strip, Fein-Eitam asserted "what is happening now in Netzarim is just a laboratory test." Participants in the forum of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations characterized the scenarios Fein depicted as a "horror show."

Fein-Eitam added that Israeli deterrent power has dissolved almost completely, and that it could not be rebuilt without tough steps to restore the army's will and its credibility. Even the image of Sharon, he said, will not suffice to create deterrence. "That can only be done with force," he said, calling for a tough policy of retaliation. Some present, Caspit reported, got the impression that Fein-Eitam was implying that Israel should initiate an offensive against the Palestinians to deal with the imminent threat.

Outspoken Remarks Led to Early Retirement
Fein-Eitam made national headlines two months ago when, still in uniform but passed over by Chief of Staff Gen. Shaul Mofaz for a senior staff appointment, he spoke out on political subjects in a lecture on Jewish identity at Bar-Ilan University. Particularly offensive to Israeli left-wingers was his characterization of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat as a "miserable murderer... who five years ago didn't have a place to lay his head."

He called for a more aggressive military posture. "The IDF can tomorrow... conquer Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip and expel the population there overnight. It's not a problem to do this. We have a problem of having the will to do this. As a nation we are inhibited," he said.

Following harsh criticism for his remarks, Fein-Eitam resigned from active service in the IDF, giving up a lucrative salary and benefits but freeing himself for unencumbered personal involvement in the political arena.

A Strong Stance Against Vigilante Action
Since his retirement from active service, Fein-Eitam has been outspoken in warning against vigilante action by the besieged Jewish settlers. Last month, in the midst of a spate of shooting attacks, he stressed in a Channel 1 television interview that "it needs to be clear to everyone that the fight against terror has to be left in the hands of the army."

"It is forbidden for anyone... to take up this task on their own," Fein-Eitam said. "Anyone who has some extremist thoughts or the idea of vengeance must understand that in the end this would undermine the foundations we are all sitting on," he added.

Fein-Eitam is reportedly devoting most of his energy today to building the foundations for a new political movement with a religious Zionist orientation.

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