Palestinians headed to civil war

[Scurrilous]

All signs show that a bloody Hamas-Fatah confrontation will come soon

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3600099,00.html

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"The meeting that took place last week in Beit El, attended by 10 Palestinian West Bank security chiefs as well as Israeli military and police officers, attests to a shift by Mahmoud Abbas and his people. This is not yet a strategic change, and it is not yet a military alliance between Fatah and Israel vis-à-vis Hamas, but nonetheless, it’s a shift. The Fatah-led Palestinian national camp and the Hamas-led radical Islamic camp are closer than ever to a historic and violent all-out clash; a true civil war.

The statements made by senior Fatah officials during the meeting were unprecedented. Fatah officers openly called for "joint action with Israel against the common enemy – Hamas," and expressed their "willingness to take care of the Hamas mosques and institutions using information provided by Israel." This is certainly an interesting novelty. I wonder about the reaction of Jibril Rajoub and Mohammad Dahlan, who swore that Fatah will never become Israel’s security contractor in the territories. Maybe this is why today Dahlan is a building contractor, while Rajoub heads the Palestinian soccer association.

The first "intra-Palestinian Intifada" is expected to take place in the coming two to three months, and should climax in January 2009. Three elements are at the basis of this civil war, which is expected, for the first time, to become a bloody and uncompromising confrontation until the enemy is defeated."


Hamas slams PA threat to use force to retake Gaza

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"Hamas government spokesman Taher Nunu urged all the Palestinian organizations yesterday to refrain from making statements that could escalate the internal Palestinian conflict.

Nunu's comment came after Gen. Dhiab al-Ali, who heads the Palestinian Authority's forces in the West Bank and is considered the Palestinian chief of staff, told Haaretz that the PA must be ready to use force against Hamas in the Gaza Strip "to reunify the homeland."

Such comments legitimize various groups that want to undermine security and stability in Gaza, Nunu charged.

"These are statements that are aimed at damaging Palestinian unity and causing the failure of efforts by Egypt and Arab states to bring about national reconciliation," he said. "These statements emphasize that the 'Ramallah gang' is not interested in dialogue; it just wants to harm the interests of the Palestinian people in favor of the Israeli-American agenda."

Hamas is not willing to return to the situation that existed before June 14, 2007, when the movement seized control of Gaza, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh added yesterday, responding to Fatah's demands to reverse the takeover.

"There will be no return to the security chaos," Haniyeh told Hamas police officers. "Hamas is creating a new history."

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