Palestinians once again blowing an opportunity for statehood

But it's all Israel's fault. Well maybe the Arab countries and the international community also share some of the blame.

The London Times reports:

Gaza was on the brink of civil war last night as violent clashes between Palestinian factions spiralled out of control.

Neither Hamas or Fatah which recently formed a unity government seem to be able to stop the fighting. As the Times goes on to report:

Last night Palestinian politicians cautioned that if the violence continued, it would not only trigger the collapse of the Palestinian unity Government, but could also spell the end of the Palestinian Authority itself.

President Abbas is said to have told his Cabinet on Monday night: “This is my Government and if it falls, I will fall with it.” As the Times speculates:

Such a scenario would strip the occupied territories of official Palestinian rule. Israel, as the occupying power, would then be forced to resume full control of the West Bank and Gaza.

. . . “The message is the Palestinians cannot rule themselves. This fighting will only end if a third party takes over,” said Ibrahim Abrash, a political analyst in Gaza.

Once again the Palestinians seem to be intent on proving what Israel's then foreign minister Abba Eban said back in 1973 after another failed peace agreement: "the Arabs never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.


Update: Silly me, I got this all wrong. This has nothing to do with Palestinians missing opportunities: "The Israelis are behind all these events," as Hamas' political leader Abu Marzouk told the Associated Press.

Arab countries and the international community also share some of the blame, Abu Marzouk goes on to say: "It's illogical that the Arabs stand idle watching the Palestinian arena while it's on the verge of explosion under the siege. ... This is a constant pressure that has led to a real explosion."

As the AP reports:

Abu Marzouk singled out Javier Solana, the European Union's foreign policy chief, for criticism. "He was one of the main instigator for these events because he is continuing his siege of the Palestinian people and had boycotted Palestinian elections," the Hamas official said.