Fatah Central Cmte. decides to completely cut off Hamas ties

[bemildred]

Fatah strongman Mohammad Dahlan on Tuesday branded Hamas' seizure of the Gaza Strip last week an "occupation," as his party decided to severe all ties with the Islamic group, a member of the group's central committee said.

"The Fatah Central Committee decided today not to conduct any kind of contact, dialogue or meetings with Hamas unless it ends its military coup in Gaza and restores the situation to normal," Fatah Central Committee member, Azzam al-Ahmed, said. "Fatah will have no relationship with Hamas on any level."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/872656.html

[ShortnFiery]

1. Horrible ... you must deal with whom the people CHOOSE as their leaders.

Not who you would like to deal with. No good will come of this. :(

[bemildred]

2. Barghouti, Fatah execs urge Dahlan removal

A group of senior Fatah officials from the West Bank recently began promoting an initiative aimed at persuading Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to remove his national security adviser and associate, Mohammed Dahlan. Jailed former commander of Fatah's Tanzim force, Marwan Barghouti, is among those urging the change.

The officials, all belonging to Fatah's Revolutionary Council, are demanding Dahlan's removal due to what they perceive as his failure to engage Hamas militarily in the Gaza Strip and prevent the organization from ousting Fatah from power there. In the last few days, Hamas has completed a bloody takeover in the Gaza Strip leaving dozens of people dead.

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Dahlan is among those responsible for this debacle, and even his own men are saying that he had deserted them along with Fatah's top-brass in the strip."

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Abbas yesterday announced dispersal of the Palestinian National Security Council following the dispersal of the Palestinian government, formerly headed by Hamas' Ismail Haniyeh.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/872392.html

[bemildred]

3. Was it really Dahlan's fault?

Now that it is clear what a bunch of incompetent self-absorbed weasels the Fatah "leadership" is, of course we are going to back them to the hilt ...

It is easy for Fatah leaders to lay the blame for their failure in fighting Hamas in the Gaza Strip on Mohammed Dahlan. In his latest job, as national security adviser to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Dahlan took responsibility for the Fatah security organizations - the forces who were defeated in the Strip. Furthermore, during the fighting, Dahlan was not in Gaza. Nearly the entire leadership of the group in the Strip, who are all considered his associates, have fled the area, fearing for their lives. Overall responsibility is therefore being laid at his feet.

Nonetheless, the latest initiative by the Fatah leadership stinks of an attempt at getting even, and does not appear to be the introspection of an organization that is trying to restore its institutions.

First, most of those currently calling for Dahlan's resignation have been on bad terms with him long before the internecine fighting in Gaza. Second, the main reason for the bitter failure of Fatah in the fighting can be found in its character - the internal divisions, the rivalries and vendettas. Fatah failed to unite its ranks in the war against Hamas, not because of Dahlan, but because of the nature of the Palestinian security groupings, which Yasser Arafat put in place as early as 1994.

It was Arafat the created the entangled system of parallel security organizations that competed with each other for authority and power, in order to guarantee that none would challenge his power. Not only have these organizations fought each other, but their commanders were all too pleased to watch their rivals in Fatah lose battles against Hamas. Dahlan, who assumed his post two months ago, could not alter the culture of the organization.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/872387.html

[The Magistrate]

4. Civil War, Sir, It Seems Proceeds Apace....

The chief asset Hamas will have in it is what these articles you have referenced remind us all of, that Fatah is more a loose association of rival war-lords than a political and military bloc. Its leading lights will be as alert for opportunities to do down their internal rivals as they are for opportunities to balk and defeat Hamas....

[bemildred]

5. And hasn't that always been the way of it Sir? nt

[The Magistrate]

6. It Has Indeed, My Friend

One of the questions is how long it will take for factionalization to appear in Hamas at hampering levels. My guess is no more than a few months under the real strain of looming success and increased recruitment; the political culture of the place seems to operate in that direction.

The situation reminds me strongly, though obviously in extreme miniature, of the war-lord period in China early in the last century, and there will be features of the unfolding situation reminiscent of events in the course of Gen. Chiang's "Northern Expedition" against the congerie of war lords astride the Yangtze. Mr. Donald A. Jordan wrote an excellent work on that topic, put out in 1976 by the University of Hawaii, that you would find most interesting.

[bemildred]

7. Nothing is more dangerous than success.

Probably the best way to weaken Hamas is to allow it to attempt to rule, although that too could have its drawbacks.

Nothing unifies quite like an outside threat, it borders on being a political cliche. Heck, it is a political cliche. Whenever I see some idiot politician trying to spook the herd, that's the first thing that comes to mind.

The present situation has created a sort of conumdrum for Israeli policy in the West Bank, in order to "support" Fatah, and more specifically the current "leadership" of Fatah, it will be necessary to lighten the restictions, restore the flow of money, perhaps do something about the "illegal outposts", etc. Should be an interesting dogfight to watch. I am skeptical that enough can or will be done in that direction to have the desired effect.

Mr. Jordan's work seems to be out of print, but I think I can get a used copy cheap.
:-)

[The Magistrate]

8. Mine Came From A Second-Hand Book-Seller, Sir

That period has long been a fascination of mine.

It is interesting that, as you observe, Israel will have to make some real acommodation to the people of the occupied Jordan Valley if their leadership is to press Israel's, and that leadership's own cause, regarding Gaza. The laws of unintended consequence appear to be in full swing, and even working over-time....

"Murphy was an optimist."