Palestine - The Gaza Strip and Hamas

Inside Gaza - calm returns at end of a gun

In the spacious, top-floor office of Gaza's former police chief, the television was tuned to al-Aqsa TV, the Hamas channel, and at lunchtime half a dozen well-armed, bearded Hamas commanders rose in unison and knelt in prayer.

On the streets there were no policemen to be seen. Instead, across the city stood small groups of Hamas gunmen, some in uniform, others not.

Directing the traffic were Hamas "volunteers", unarmed and wearing green baseball caps and fluorescent yellow jackets, each marked the Islamic Resistance Movement - Hamas.

Hamas might be a bunch of idiots but it is not surprising they would start sorting out the criminal gangs.

Now if Hamas don't start firing rockets into Israel and play along ruling the Gaza Strip then ok, but as soon as they start up again Israel will be in there as fast as possible and this time they will know that anyone with a gun is Hamas.

The quartet are wasting their time backing Fatah, who are discredited in many Palestinian eyes.

Palestine



Fatah seizes West Bank parliament.

Hamas hints at talks as chaos reigns in divided Palestine

Islamists strengthen grip in Gaza but western governments, including US, side with Palestinian president in the West Bank

Jubilant Hamas militants cemented their domination over Gaza yesterday but appeared to make conciliatory overtures to their Fatah opponents after a week of intense fighting that has effectively broken Palestine in two.

Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader in Gaza, called for new negotiations with the Fatah leader and Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, and urged calm from his own gunmen after they had routed Fatah rivals and embarked on a wave of looting in Fatah offices and homes in the Gaza Strip. Hamas also released 10 senior Fatah officials captured during five days of clashes that killed more than 100 people.

There will be probably a three state solution. Hamas will rule the Gaza Strip, Israel in the centre and the West Bank will be controlled by Fatah.

The Gaza Strip


Hamas takes control of Gaza

Hamas fighters today basked in triumph after taking complete control in Gaza as the west scrambled for a response to the arrival of Islamist power on Israel's doorstep.

In a stark demonstration of the new facts on the ground, a masked Hamas fighter sat down at the desk of the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, and declared an end to the western-backed authority in the Gaza strip.

In an imaginary telephone call to the US, a fighter from the Islamist movement's armed wing Izz el-Deen al-Qassam joked: "Hello Condoleezza Rice. You have to deal with me now, there is no Abu Mazen anymore."

This is the logical outcome of US and Israeli policy towards Palestine, a civil war.

Its also Yasser Arafat's fault, he sat on his arse doing nothing for 26 years, just collecting the cash. He died and now Hamas and Fatah are fighting over who gets the money, it has little to do with ideology.

In the short term Hamas might offer some stability and get some basic services working, with no one else to fight.

I think all those rallying behind Abbas (the quartet) are wasting their time. Basically Fatah will run the West Bank and Hamas the Gaza Strip. The Egyptians won't stand for Hamas rule in the Gaza Strip, especially if it grows strong, they might even invade, as it might encourage their own Muslim Brotherhood and I am surprise Saudi Arabia and Israel have not sorted out the Palestinian situation themseleves, because it is in both their interests, as for those commentators who say 'oh but we must talk to the moderate', what fucking moderates? Sometimes you have to deal with people who you don't really want to deal with. Just look at N Ireland, Martin Mcguinness is now a MP and is in a government with Ian Paisley.

But thats just my view, I cannot give a satisfactory answer as I'm not there

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