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Showing posts with label Fatah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fatah. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 16, 2007

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.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

After 60 years, could the Palestinians finally be seizing an opportunity for statehood?

Will the Palestinians finally build their state in Gaza? Will they finally seize an opportunity and put the old adage to rest that the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity?

CNN reports:

Hundreds of Palestinian police patrolled on foot Wednesday to launch what the Palestinian Authority says is the first phase of its 100-day security plan for Gaza.

The plan is aimed at bringing an end to infighting between Hamas and Fatah militants that has plagued the region, claiming more than 300 lives in the past year.

At least 37 Palestinians were killed during a week of factional fighting in Gaza in late January and early February.

Hamas and Fatah security officers are patrolling together in teams and wearing the same uniform, Reuters reported. They are under the command of the InteriorMinistry rather than either party, according to Reuters.

As CNN goes on to say:
The two parties agreed on a coalition government in March, hoping it would end violence in Gaza and open the door to increased aid.
Otherwise known as the Mecca Accord, could this agreement finally launch Middle East Peace?

We've been waiting six decades alright already. That's sixty years. Yes 6-0. ستون.

Stay tuned.

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Hamas: Don't believe al Qaeda

We're still committed to Israel's destruction.

Reuters reports that Hamas is objecting to yesterday's criticisms by al Qaeda that it is, "[now] serving U.S. interests by agreeing to respect past Palestinian peace accords with Israel":

"We will not betray promises we made to God to continue the path of Jihad and resistance until the liberation of Palestine, all of Palestine," Hamas said in a statement, in a clear reference to Israel as well as to the occupied West Bank.
Al Qaeda second-in-command, Ayman al-Zawahiri, said in an Internet statement on Sunday that by agreeing last month in Mecca to respect earlier agreements forged between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, Hamas, now the ruling party in the PA, had betrayed its original purpose to restore the land that is today Israel back to the domain of Islam.

Saudi Arabia had brokered the Mecca accord in hopes that it would bring about an end to the inter-Palestinian fighting that has claimed the lives of some 90 Palestinians in recent months.

As far as Zawahiri was concerned, however, the Mecca accord was no more than "an American scheme....to remove the biggest reason for Muslim hatred (of the United States), namely the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

"They [Hamas] have ditched the movement of martyrdom operations ... for a government that plays with words in palace halls," the al Qaeda leader said in his Internet statement.

In response to Zawahiri's criticisms, Hamas issued a statement saying:
"Zawahri's recent statements were wrong ...Hamas is still the group you knew when it was founded and it will never abandon its path."
Hamas was apparently referring to the principles it set out in its "founding covenant."

In Article 11, for example, Hamas spells out exactly why it can never accept a permanent Jewish state in the land it calls Palestine:
The Islamic Resistance Movement believes that the land of Palestine is an Islamic Waqf consecrated for future Moslem generations until Judgement Day. It, or any part of it, should not be squandered: it, or any part of it, should not be given up. Neither a single Arab country nor all Arab countries, neither any king or president, nor all the kings and presidents, neither any organization nor all of them, be they Palestinian or Arab, possess the right to do that. Palestine is an Islamic Waqf land consecrated for Moslem generations until Judgement Day.
I personally don't think you can even begin to understand the Palestinian-Israeli conflict until you read the Hamas charter in its entirety. The covenant will give you a flavor of why Hamas believes that the Jews must be opposed. For example, there are the reasons stated in Article 22:

For a long time, the enemies [i.e., the Jews] have been planning, skillfully and with precision, for the achievement of what they have attained. They took into consideration the causes affecting the current of events. They strived to amass great and substantive material wealth which they devoted to the realisation of their dream. With their money, they took control of the world media, news agencies, the press, publishing houses, broadcasting stations, and others. With their money they stirred revolutions in various parts of the world with the purpose of achieving their interests and reaping the fruit therein. They were behind the French Revolution, the Communist revolution and most of the revolutions we heard and hear about, here and there. With their money they formed secret societies, such as Freemasons, Rotary Clubs, the Lions and others in different parts of the world for the purpose of sabotaging societies and achieving Zionist interests. With their money they were able to control imperialistic countries and instigate them to colonize many countries inorder to enable them to exploit their resources and spread corruption there.

You may speak as much as you want about regional and world wars. They were behind World War I, when they were able to destroy the Islamic Caliphate, making
financial gains and controlling resources. They obtained the Balfour Declaration, formed the League of Nations through which they could rule the world. They were behind World War II, through which they made huge financial gains by trading in armaments, and paved the way for the establishment of their state. It was they who instigated the replacement of the League of Nations with the United Nations and the Security Council to enable them to rule the world through them. There is no war going on anywhere, without having their finger in it.

And there's more. In Article 28:

The Zionist invasion is a vicious invasion. It does not refrain from resorting to all methods, using all evil and contemptible ways to achieve its end. It relies greatly in its infiltration and espionage operations on the secret organizations it gave rise to, such as the Freemasons, The Rotary and Lions clubs, and other sabotage groups. All these organizations, whether secret or open, work in the interest of Zionism andaccording to its instructions. They aim at undermining societies, destroying values, corrupting consciences, deteriorating character and annihilating Islam. It is behind the drug trade and alcoholism in all its kinds so as to facilitate its control and expansion.
But again, read the whole thing. It will explain a lot. And don't forget, this is the charter of the organization that now controls a majority of the seats in the Palestinian legislature.

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