Palestinian Authority Might Declare Gaza 'Rebel Region'

[notfullofit]

28/07/2008
By Ali El-Saleh

London, Asharq Al-Awsat- The Palestinian Authority in considering declaring the Gaza Strip a 'rebel region' controlled by a militant gang, Asharq Al-Awsat has learned.

Head of the Fatah faction in the Palestinian Parliament, Azzam Al-Ahmed, told Asharq Al Awsat that Hamas was ignoring any initiative for negotiating with the PA and said it was the right of any legitimate government to use force to end a mutiny.

Al-Ahmed told Asharq Al Awsat that "Hamas has turned its back on every mediation attempt and initiative; the latest of which was President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) initiative to return to dialogue and implement the Yemeni initiative to end the state of division".

He added that the message Khalid Mishal, chairman of the Political Bureau of Hamas, conveyed to Arab leaders confirms the negative attitude towards President Mahmoud Abbas's initiative.

However, Ahmed stressed that the PA preferred not to use violence to end the current state of affairs in Gaza.

Ahmed's comments followed Hamas's dismissal of PA President Mahmoud Abbas's call to resume talks between Hamas and Fatah without preconditions.

Meanwhile, Palestinian security forces arrested over 50 Hamas members in the occupied West Bank on Monday, a security official said, after the Islamist movement rounded up hundreds of its rivals in the Gaza Strip.

Security forces loyal to Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas carried out the arrests in and around the northern West Bank town of Nablus against "those suspected of inciting civil strife," the official told AFP.

All but one of the detainees are Hamas members, and those arrested include several prominent local leaders and university professors.

The official declined to say whether the crackdown was linked to the arrest of over 300 members of Abbas' Fatah party in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip but said there would likely be more arrests later in the day.

http://www.asharqalawsat.com/english/news.asp?section=1&id=13547

[Taverner]

1. Two State Solution? I'm beginning to think Three State

[notfullofit]

3. I'm beginning to think there will be NO solution. nt

[Vegasaurus]

6. At least three

There are factions even within the factions.

[Smarmie Doofus]

2. That's fine, buit didn't the rebels get more votes than the PA? nt

[notfullofit]

4. There are so many different factiions, who can keep up with them?

De facto government in Gaza continues Fatah arrests, clashes with Army of Islam

Gaza – Ma'an – Fatah said on Sunday that the de facto government police in the Gaza Strip continued to arrest its members and close down its charities affiliated in all districts. Clashes also broke out with group linked with Al-Qaeda.

Fatah said in a statement that dozens of its loyalists were arrested and one member, Imad Sheikh Khalil was shot in the foot Saturday evening.

Abu Mahmoud, a spokesperson for Fatah's armed wing the Al-Aqsa Brigades, told Ma'an via telephone, "the Al-Aqsa Brigades hold Hamas completely responsible for the life of its personnel and for the assaults against its organizations in the Gaza Strip. We will take practical measures on the ground against a number of Hamas leaders in the West Bank within the coming 12 hours if Hamas does not stop its attacks in the Gaza Strip."

Meanwhile, de facto government police continued to take control of Fatah-affiliated sport clubs and civil society associations. Amongst those shut down were the Al-Karama Sports Center for Children, and the Countryside Development Association "Rida" in Khan Younis district. In central Gaza, the "Nuwar" educational center which is a branch of the Culture and Free Thought Association was closed. All the center's contents have been confiscated. The Al-Bureij Association for Rehabilitation in Al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip was also shut.

Local sources stated that de facto government police ransacked the home of former Palestinian health minister Thihni Al-Wahidi.

Clashes erupted on Saturday night and lasted several hours in southern Gaza City between de facto government police and fighters affiliated to "the Army of Islam." The group is an Al Qaeda-inspired movement in Gaza, and is not affiliated with either Hamas or Fatah.

Eyewitnesses said they heard about injuries on both sides, though sources in the de facto government deny reports about the clashes asserting that police were chasing fugitives.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30849

[Vegasaurus]

5. Israel is the least of the Palestinians' problems

Even if Israel left the region altogether, they would be busy arresting, jailing, torturing or murdering each other.

Too many factions, too many groups, not enough consensus on anything (except hating Israel, and even that isn't enough to keep them from attacking each other).

[notfullofit]

7. The media is inflaming tensions

snip

Ash-Shawwa also urged media outlets affiliated to Fatah and Hamas not to fuel the crisis between the two sides by trading accusations, stressing that exacerbating the conflict is not in the interest of either faction or the Palestinian people. She called on all sides to refrain from inflaming tensions or allowing the current disputes to degenerate into civil war.

http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30882