UPDATE: Man, what is up with Reuters? “A Hamas member was shot and critically wounded in the Gaza Strip on Thursday despite a ceasefire between the rival factions, Hamas said.” Actually, every news report I’ve read is that the ceasefire was “unilateral” by Hamas. What’s more, Fatah has separately accused Hamas gunmen of abducting five Fatah members in violation of the ceasefire. So Hamas is calling a ceasefire without checking with the other side, abducting persons in violation of that ceasefire, and then getting self-righteous when there’s retaliation for Hamas’ attacks. Who is writing Reuters’ reports when there isn’t even a modicum of analysis into what is going on and mouthing Hamas’s words?
All hell has broken loose in the Gaza strip between Hamas and Fatah forces, and the fratricidal bloodshed is maddening. Dozens of Gaza residents turned out for a rally on Wednesday to demand an end to factional fighting, with one declaring, “Just as we used to protect you from the occupation by acting as human shields, we have come to protect you from yourselves.” (The reference was to when when Palestinian civilians positioned themselves between militants and Israeli troops to protect the Palestinian fighters.) But the Palestinian forces aren’t as hesitant to shoot at civilians when reporters are present, and the human shield protesters were forced to run for their lives when a gun battle erupted, leaving almost a dozen seriously wounded.
A reporter resident in Gaza City describes the terror on CNN:
On Wednesday, I saw several people shot in front of my building, I heard the screams of terrified women and children in a burning building, and I argued with gunmen who tried to take over my home.I saw Hamas gunmen going in and out of the building, and they were exchanging fire with Fatah forces. And there has been another battle going on all day at a nearby 12-story building.
My building is across from a Palestinian government complex, and both sides are fighting for control of the area.
The reporter also states the deadly conundrum of life in the lawless area:
- If you have a beard, you might be arrested by Fatah security for looking Islamic.
- If you have a chain around your neck or on your arm, Hamas gunmen might shoot you because you look secular.
(A quick overview for those of you catching up: Fatah, led for decades by Arafat, is a secular anti-Israel movement that signed a partial peace accord in 1993 that gave it autonomous administration in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas, founded twenty years ago, is a fundamentalist Palestinian Islamic movement that does not accept a Jewish state in the Middle East which presents itself as a clean-governing alternative to Fatah’s notorious nepotism and corruption.)
Hamas unilaterally implemented a ceasefire from 8pm Wednesday evening, which makes the UN happy but, as I’ve written before, is something to be feared. This ceasefire comes after 41 people have been killed, the majority being Fatah fighters shot in audacious surprise attacks by Hamas’s militiamen. (Hamas fighters also ambushed a vehicle that was carrying Hamas prisoners in Gaza City, mistakenly killing the five prisoners as well as two PSF troops, PSF officials said. Hamas responded that its loyalists had been “executed” by Fatah forces.)
If an all-out civil war erupts between Fatah and Hamas, Fatah will have an advantage in numbers, with an estimated 21,000 fighters in Hamas and 35,000 in Fatah. However, Hamas’s Executive Force of 6,000 is better equipped and organized than the presidential guard of Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas, which now numbers about 4,200 men. And if the last few days show anything, it’s that Hamas has deadly potential.
What about Israel? It withdrew its military and all Jewish communities from Gaza in the summer of 2006, but when struck Hamas in response to a rocket attack originating from Gaza. Yet it clearly has no interest of getting involved in the conflict after the response to its invasion of southern Lebanon last year, not to mention that the fight is between factions that the world is telling Israel to make peace with.
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COMMENTS / 7 COMMENTS
Chief Wiggim added these pithy words on 17 May 07 at 5:58 amRemember Henry Kissinger’s famous comment on the Iran-Iraq war:? “It’s a pity both sides can’t lose.”
ckrisz added these pithy words on 17 May 07 at 9:17 amDon’t neglect to mention that Abbas’ “Presidential Guard” is trained and funded by the U.S., though given the fact that it got its ass kicked yesterday by Hamas should tell us something about the quality of such training or perhaps the caliber of Fatah’s personnel.
Also the growing power of AQ in Gaza, and the fact that several large clans also have armed militias not yet on either side.
alec added these pithy words on 17 May 07 at 6:06 pmI think you’re exaggerating a bit when you say this is a vision of the West Bank’s future. The main problems with Gaza are the political infighting, complete lack of infrastructure, and among other things the complete economic collapse since Hamas victory in the elections and subsequent international boycott of aid. Gaza also has the highest population density in the world, sporadic access to power and water, and has operated as an open air prison for the past decade. The West Bank doesn’t have anywhere near the level of economic problems that Gaza does (80% unemployment/underemployment in Gaza) or the problem of over-armament.
Second, I would describe Fatah as a nationalist movement, not anti-Israeli. Would the first words you use to describe Likud be as anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian or pro-Occupation? I basically think you’re getting caught up in the zero-sum game where to be Pro-Palestinian or Pro-Israel necessitates that you are automatically anti-the other.
snow added these pithy words on 21 May 07 at 4:15 amAlec, I would have to disagree with you when you say that Fatah is nationalist not anti-Israel. Fatah is based at least partially on the idea of ‘no more Israel’ as witness the crest on Arafat’s sleeve that showed Palestine encompassing Israel, signifying the end of Israel. Not a sign of a two state solution. I would say that the idea of a single Palestinian state in place of Israel is definitely anti-Israel and despite the lip service paid to a two-state solution, I’m doubtful that Fatah is really interested in that, when it really wants the whole place.
Michael added these pithy words on 21 May 07 at 7:25 pmIt’s ironic (or maybe just pathetic). The Israelis want a Jewish state, the Palestinians want a Palestinian state. But they can’t agree on what it would mean to be a Jewish state or a Palestinian state.
aleca added these pithy words on 21 May 07 at 7:36 pmWell, Arafat has been dead for 3 years now and I wouldn’t say Fatah has ‘embraced’ a two-state solution (much like the Likud on the Israeli side). But they know it’s the only feasible solution to ending the conflict.
Hamilton added these pithy words on 22 May 07 at 4:23 amWhy wouldn’t they fight each other? They have fought everyone else in the region before, and not just Israel. Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon have all fought them and they have consistently killed their own people interestedin peace. (Zionist spies you know) I’d Say the Palestinians finally have the government they have fought for, kidnapped, murdered, killed, beaten, raped, bombed, and burned for for the past 60+ years. Be careful what you wish for.
