Here, have a piece of security for dinner in Gaza

So whats going on it Gaza? Safety and security seem to be Hamas's answer. But under the surface something is happening. Over that last few days reports that sporadic in fighting is reemerging. Two explosive devices near the Gaza old helipad. Khan Younis also had a bout of firefighting. And Fatah organised afternoon prayers outside to make a statement about the anti Fatah sermons taking place in the mosques. Ultimately when the prayers ended violence erupted and 13 people were reported injured, including two foreign journalists. So while things seems better then in June, there is no doubt that things are not in a positive direction. People in Gaza, due to the calm, finally have time to think about what they want for their future and their children's future. Hamas can't seem to give much more due to the lack of will to work with Fatah, or change their attitude towards Israel. In an interview to the Chinese press agency, Xinhua, one Palestinian described the situation in very simple terms "I can't give my child a piece of security to eat, or a piece of security to buy food at school". Another Fatah affiliated said "There is safety and security, but it is limited to Hamas people".

Hamas basically has three options. First, the organization can continue to rule Gaza with its brute force, and by doing so slowly but surely lose its popular support. Secondly, and the most improbable option is that Hamas could find a way to bridge the gap between between its fanatic ideology and the need to live with its neighbour Israel, some sort of long term "hudna", cease fire. In both of the first and second options Hamas will bind itself to controlling only the Gaza Strip, giving Israel a true basis for calling Gaza "Hamastan", disconnecting them selves from the West Bank. This definitely does not coincide with Hamas's larger strategy that it has been planning since the early 90's, to take over the Palestinian Authority. To conclude the most probable scenario, Hamas will attempt to reengage Fatah and and make a mend, call it taking one step back to open the options for the future. To do this a public apology and a withdrawal of its forces will be necessary. Until that happens Hamas will continue to rule the Strip, and try to make things seems normal, like the declaration today that school will be free for everybody. Like everything in the Middle East things can change from one minute to the next, so time will tell.

Happy Birthday Cpl. Shalit - 21 today in Gaza

Corporal Gilad Shalit was abducted on the 25 June 2006. At the time of his kidnapping he was on duty on the border between Gaza and Israel. In a cunning and well planned attack by terrorists 2 soldiers were killed and Shalit was taken to a "safe house" in Gaza.

Hamas was, at the time of abduction, just a few months in to its legitimate term after the general elections that took place. At this time the entire international community and Israel were watching Hamas to see what path they would choose. Clarification came after the abduction that Hamas would not show any flexibility toward international demands and since that time the situation in the territories and especially in Gaza has deteriorated. It seems that Shalit has become for Hamas a serious thorn in its side. 429 days after the abduction, when the Israeli shock of the incident settled, Shalit has not turned in to the strategic playing card Hamas had wished for. Instead Hamas lost the ability to rule due to the freezing of money held by Israel and the freezing of international aid. As a result economy in the territories is in shambles, internal security deteriorated to a civil war that brought a "National Unity Government" and that eventually evaporated and brought a new reality, Hamas run Gaza and a Fatah run West Bank. If while the prospect of a national unity government Israel could negotiate with Abu Mazen for the release of Shalit, today this channel is non-existent. On the other hand, Hamas has proven that it can release those kidnapped as in the case of BBC journalist, Alan Jonston. Any negotiation that will end up in release of Palestinian prisoners to Hamas would definitely bolster its support, motivate terrorist factions to continue and evidently harm an already struggling Fatah government and leadership.

In conclusion, one Israeli soldier put Hamas government and leadership in a position that it had to choose, to be a nation among nations or another ruthless terrorist organization that plays not on the negotiating table but rather in the back streets of the refugee camps and the tomato greenhouses of Beit Lahia. For Israel that one soldier has brought international support and compassion, a financial embargo on the Palestinians and the legitimization for use of force. Once more the question for Hamas is what do you want to do with the control you have taken to yourself? In the near future Hamas will most certainly find itself in a new type of pressure, the pressure from within. The streets of Gaza, while calm and secure, are piled up with garbage, Fatah affiliated clinics are ordered shut, freedom of speech is a thing of the past. women are afraid to show their faces in public and Israel ar epermitting only essential humanitarian aid throughits borders. The pressure that is boiling beneath the surface is the people of Gaza that, thanks to Hamas, now have ample time to think what do they want for the future of the Strip. Hamas can offer two solutions, prosperity and cooperation with the Jewish neighbours or an act of war with the same neighbour.

Gaza's Farce: Electricity and Missles

Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed

27/08/2007 esharq alawsat

The glaring farce today is that forces from the Hamas movement are the ones presently guarding the Israel-Gaza border, while al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade and Fatah are the ones bombarding Israeli towns with missiles. As for Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the state of Gaza – or rather, the head of the coup – he gave a speech last Friday in which he stated that there is a local, Arab and international conspiracy that aims to undermine Hamas so as to ensure the failure of the Islamic model of governance.
It may be useful for the world to review this alleged Islamic model of governance, which is responsible for making the whole world fearful. It is a model that cannot even provide electricity except through diesel that is delivered via Israel and is financed as a donation from the European Union (EU).
The Hamas model is incapable of generating electrical power when electricity has been successfully harnessed over 140 years ago. It is a model that cannot fight nor liberate or make peace, and neither can it even secure the most basic level of a decent simple life for the people. All what the Hamas leadership was competent enough to achieve was to blame the Palestinian Authority, notwithstanding the fact that it was originally the one to turn against it and oust it from Gaza. Now it wants the Palestinian Authority to pay for the electricity, natural gas and the salaries of the local workers on its behalf. How is that a model that could pose a threat to regional governments? The truth is that it has nothing to do with history or religion; it only serves to represent those in its leadership.
Hamas officials attribute the decline in their popularity among the Palestinian people to the economic embargo; the power cuts in electricity and the obstruction of paths with the outside world, in addition to a deprivation of international financial aid. This begs the question as to whether the Palestinians genuinely believe in Hamas – for is it rational to think that they would assess the movement in terms of money and electricity?
Throughout history, all the nationalist movements led people who were suffering from hunger, and the people paid the price with their blood – not with 10 hours of electricity and a trip across the Egyptian border.
The truth is that the residents of Gaza, who had become fed up with the corruption of Fatah, crowned Hamas in its place only to discover that the latter was no better than the former in theory or in practice. Hamas’s security forces practice oppression; raiding houses, ruining weddings and penalizing anyone they hear lamenting the bygone Fatah era.
Meanwhile, those who supported Hamas with the intention of combating Israel discovered that it is an impotent organization that has not executed a single operation in over two years. Instead, it has become the cause of misery, suffering and conflict, and has resulted in the severance of family ties.
If the Hamas model of governance is capable of instilling fear in governments worldwide; it is blatantly obvious that it does not scare Israel, which lives contentedly and calmly since Hamas rose to power – as opposed to the situation two years ago during the days of ambushed cars and female suicide bombers. Moreover, Hamas has served Israel’s best interests in a manner the occupation’s military leaders have failed to achieve over the span of 50 years when it opened fire on Fatah forces, executing them in the streets, hurling some of them off the tops of tall buildings and besieging their families.
Hamas has only succeeded in eliminating 1.5 million Palestinians, the population of Gaza, from the Palestinian Authority’s citizens’ list.
Undoubtedly, this is a model capable of terrifying Arab governments, as well as Palestinians locally, since it is the clearest evidence of the death of taboos forever.

Helping Gaza and the West Bank

The LA Times printed, in yesterdays paper, the thoughts of Moshe Ya'alon, former IDF Chief of Staff on the issue of foreign misconceptions of the Middle East. While some of what he wrote is clearly political (Ya'alon spoke out publicly against the Israeli disengagement from Gaza), there are some clear insights and tips for the west to better understand the micro cosmos of the Palestinian - Israeli conflict as a playing field for the global Jihadi anti western way of life. After pointing out the misconceptions he suggests some achievable solutions.

Until they get past their mistaken assumptions, foreign envoys can do little to calm the region.

By Moshe Ya'alon August 26, 2007

After a few years of benign neglect, Israel is back on the itineraries of well-meaning foreign emissaries. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair visited the country last month in his new role as special envoy of the "quartet" of Middle East peacemakers. Earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived. Each visit was concluded with a news conference at which promises of progress were made. But before any lasting on-the-ground movement toward peace can be achieved in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, foreign emissaries, as well as some Israelis, will have to shake off some long-disproved tenets of the conventional wisdom about the dispute.There are four main misconceptions that diplomats bring with them to Israel. Primary among them is the idea that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a prerequisite for stability in the Mideast. The truth is that the region is riven by clashes that have nothing to do with Israel. For instance, the Jewish state plays no role in the conflict between Shiites and Sunnis, between Persians and Arabs or between Arab nationalists and Arab Islamists. The second misconception is that Israeli territorial concessions are the key to progress. The reality is that an ascendant jihadist Islam believes that it is leading the battle against Israel and the rest of the West. Given this dynamic, Israeli territorial or other concessions simply fill the jihadists' sails, reinforcing their belief that Israel and the West are weak and can be militarily defeated.True, a majority of Israelis supported Israel's unilateral withdrawals from Lebanon in 2000 and from Gaza in 2005 in the belief that meeting Hezbollah and Palestinian territorial demands would nullify the cause of conflict between them. We now know the results: The Hezbollah and Palestinian reactions -- concerted terror wars, kidnapped Israeli soldiers, rockets fired at Israeli cities -- made clear that the Mideast's central conflict is not territorial but ideological. And ideology cannot be defeated by concessions. Emissaries also still believe that "the Occupation" blocks agreement between Israelis and Palestinians. In the West, the term usually means the territories Israel conquered in the Six-Day War in 1967. If the problem between Israelis and Palestinians were just the 1967 territories, and the solution were dividing those lands up between the two sides (as proposed, most recently, in 2000 by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak), the conflict would have ended long ago.Instead, the heart of the problem is that many Palestinians -- Fatah and Hamas, in particular -- and even some Israeli Arabs use "Occupation" to refer to all Israel. They do not recognize the Jewish people's right to an independent state, a right affirmed again and again in the international arena.Finally, the well-intentioned visiting diplomats believe that the Palestinians want -- and have the ability -- to establish a state that will live in peace alongside Israel. But they are not being clear-eyed. The late Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, established a thugocracy that never improved the basic living conditions of his people. Indeed, Palestinian unemployment and poverty are worse today than they were before Arafat and his cronies assumed power in 1994.Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas did not take responsibility for Gazans' welfare, which in part led to Hamas' electoral victory in 2006. Now confined to the West Bank after Hamas kicked his Fatah organization out of Gaza, Abbas has not moved to create a governmental structure.A corollary of this fourth misconception is the belief that economic development can neutralize extreme nationalism and religious fanaticism, thus clearing the way toward peace and security. David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, had a term for such believers: "naive Zionists." Those who fit this description should demand that the Palestinians explain what they did with the $7 billion in international aid they received over the years. Seven billion reasons for economic progress -- and yet, why did Palestinian mobs destroy the Erez industrial zone, where Palestinians worked and ran businesses for decades, on the Gaza border? Why do they attack safe roads linking Gaza and the West Bank? Why is the Palestinian economy in shambles?Shorn of these mistaken assumptions, the picture in the Middle East is disturbing indeed. No wonder emissaries hold on to them. So what to do?For starters, Western governments and their emissaries must refrain from pressuring Israel for territorial or security concessions, which at best produces only short-term gains and emboldens the Islamist terror groups. Instead, they should try to persuade the Palestinian leaders to commit to a long-term strategy premised on educational, political and economic reforms that would lead to the establishment of a civil society that cherishes life, not death; values human rights and freedom; and develops a middle class, not a corrupt, rich elite. At the same time, these governments should set up an international fund that would offer Palestinian refugee families aid -- say $100,000 to $200,000 a family -- for their resettlement on the condition that their acceptance of the money would signify resolution of their refugee status.

Under no circumstances should emissaries attempt to open a dialogue with Hamas. For the sake of Palestinian society, Hamas and its ideology must be defeated. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not the most significant today; it's the battle between jihadist Islam and the West, of which Israel is merely one theater. To defeat jihadist Islam, the West must overcome the regimes, organizations and ideologies that support and feed it -- and Hamas is foremost among them.The emissaries who travel to Israel must draw on their rich diplomatic experiences, free themselves from misconceptions about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the petty politics that flows from them -- especially the binds of political correctness -- to lead us all toward freedom, security and peace. Anything else is mere meddling.

Gaza - Ramallah & Jerusalem solving the problems

75 stranded Gazans traveled to Egypt today. The Palestinians have been stuck in the Gaza Strip since Hamas forcefully over through the reigning national unity government. Rafah that previously operated on the basis of agreement between Israel and Abu Mazen, with the assistance of the European Union monitors has been closed since the beginning of June. A mechanism established between Israel and the Palestinian Autority residing in Ramallah, and at an attempt to bolster popular support for the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). AP reported that over 4000 Palestinians remain in the Gaza Strip and need to travel abroad for work or study purposes.

The 75 lucky people passed through the Erez crossing into Israel and then traveled to the Nitzana border crossing between Israel and Egypt some 140 kilometers away. Israel and the Palestinian Authority promise that this procedure will continue.

Gaza economical situation down and out

Who is responsible for this situation? Hamas leaders should be accountable for what they are doing the 360 square km coastal strip. The World Food Program and UNRWA already support over a million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Maybe the International community should reiterate the need for Hamas to recognise its own responsibility.

Gaza and the Lion hero Hamas

Here is a cartoon aired on the Hamas TV station in Gaza. Hamas the lion hero against the fatah rats, ultimately Hamas describe the situation after the lion banishes the rats from Gaza as a flourishing blooming place. Tell that to the 80 percent dependants on international aid. Those of you with sharp hearing can recognise the Israeli national anthem "hatikve" playing in the background. And of course the US dollars the the rat (dahlan) is throwing in the air.

Terrorist infiltration foiled at Gaza border

A group of Palestinian terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza Strip early Saturday, firing at the Israeli military unit responsible for coordinating with the Gaza Strip, known as the Coordination and Liaision Administration (CLA). Shots were fired and grenades were thrown and then the terrorists moved on. Later soldiers from the Golani Brigade's 12th Battalion engaged the terrorists and shot two dead. AP reported that according to a joint statement released by Palestinian terrorist groups following the attack, three gunmen participated in the operation, two gunmen were killed, and the whereabouts of the third was unknown. According to the IDF, under the cover of the early morning fog the terrorists scaled the security wall with ropes. A spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees Gaza militant group said to reuters that one of its gunmen and another belonging to the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine were killed in a "martyrdom operation against the Zionist entity." The spokesman said that the operation was intended to enter the Israeli bodrer town of Netiv Ha'asara.

Gaza - 80 % Hamas 20% Fatah

Allthough in the first public opinion poll carried out by JMCC 80 percent of Gazans support Hamas and would reelect them today if general elections took place. In a suprizing show of power Fatah, after Friday prayers organized a deifying demonstration and rally. Masses of Fatah supporters took to the streets of Gaza city, clearly showing their opinion of how they think Hamas are running the Gaza Strip. Hamas broke up the rally by shooting in the air and showing their appreciation for international press by braking a few cameras and shoving around the journalists that were covering the march.

It seems that Fatah have not had their last stand over Gaza after all. In the poll published yesterday 45.2 percent of those Gazans asked believed that the situation in Gaza has worsened since Hamas over though the Palestinian Authority. Only 34.1 percent of Gazans believe things are now better, while 20 percent believe things haven't changed. Salam Fayad is perceived to be a better Prime minister than Hamas Haniya. Ultimately Palestinians believe that unity is the way out of the dead lock and almost 60 percent of Gazans believe that the current situation will last six months or less. Then all demonstrations will be channelled against Israel.

IDF all alone in Gaza

Israel's biggest daily newspaper, Yedioth Ahronot, printed a story today by the prominent reporters Shimon Shiffer and Nahum Barnea, pointing out the the IDF views the best thing to do is challenge Hamas militarily, and the sooner the better. According to the report, the main objective of this activity would be to cut of the supply routes from Egypt via the infamous 12.5 kilometer long Philadelphia corridor that runs along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Shiffer and Barnea point out that it would require cutting off Rafah from the rest of the Gaza Strip, and by doing do leaving about 140,000 Palestinians under Israeli renewed control. The military sources, are drawing a parallel between the situation in Gaza now to the IDF's renewed ability to operate in Palestinian West Bank towns in 2002, following a lethal terrorist attack in a Netanya Hotel on the eve of Passover. Shiffer and Barnea call it the disaster that still hasn't happened. Carl von Clausewitz called defined war "a continuation of politics by other means." Before going in to an ordeal in the Gaza Strip the Israeli government should define what its grand strategy is, and what they mean to achieve, this will not make Hamas lay down their arms, it will strengthen their already 80 percent support within the Gaza Strip and probably have a spill over effect in the West Bank as well. On the global playing field all of the Arab states that are now supporting Abbas will be forced to support the "people" of Gaza, Europe will not give their blessing to any military activity that has an occupational essence to it. UN led by the largest organization in the Middle East UNRWA will most definitely object and deplore the activity. Israel indeed has the military ability to take over the Gaza Strip but on the political scene Israel will most definitely find itself all alone in Gaza

Health in Gaza a political disease

Hamas are busy taking control of the Gaza Strip and deepening their grip around the various services. Today the Tel-El Sultan Hospital staff carried out a sit in demonstration against the replacement of two of the Hospital Directors. Hamas realizes that by deepening its control over the services it can better control the population. Hamas has over the years established a alternate civilian infrastructure with schools, cllinics, and various charity institutions and mosques of course. This system serves as a recruting agency for Hamas needs.

12 Dead in Gaza - Israel turns up the pressure

Over the last 72 hours 12 Palestinians have been killed by the Israel Defence Forces. Two of those killed were children said to be playing near a rocket launcher. The other ten were named terrorists from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. In response various militant factions including the El Aksa Martyrs Brigade (Fatah) have sworn retaliation. Does this mean that another violent bout is about to break out? It is possible that Israel has made a strategic decision to raise level of heat put on Terrorist factions in and around the Gaza Strip, using various methods, but usually boiling down to pinpoint military operations and surgical air strikes. Israel, and its military must find the balance between the ongoing need to carry out Military ops and at the same time keep international legitimization. This can only be gained if restrictions on the crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip be relived. By doing so the International community mainly headed by the UN will turn a blind eye to attacks against the militants, even when there are civilian casualties (depending on the "collateral damage"). The priority should be given of course to humanitarian activities run by the UN, schools, building projects and so on. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported that due to a lack of paper for printers 350,000 books for children planned to go to school at the begining of Septenber won't have school books. If Hamas and the other factions that do Hamas's dirty work increase their offensive activities against Israel, the Hamas leadership will most probably find themselves targeted. In the past such attacks against Hamas leadership has generally been effective in deterrence. Its seems that the notion of suicide or "istishad", is good for the paupers, not their leadership. When Hamas leaders have been targeted personally they usually come to the conclusion that its work while to establish a "hudna", a religious cease fire.

Today seven rockets were fired against the Israeli town Sderot. One of the "Kassam" rockets hit a house, two women were reported lightly injured (usually that means in shock). The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack and promised to continue the resistance. Earlier this week a rocket landed in a kindergarten, although empty at the time it sends a clear message what school children on both sides of the border have to look forward to when they go back to school in a weeks time.

Gaza held hostage by Fayad Government

While everybody was under the impression that Gaza electricity was cut off because of Israeli security concerns. Ynet has published a report pointing out that the diesel for the Gaza power plant was supposed to be requested by the Fayyad government in Ramallah. As I indicated in my previous post all of the diesel for the plant is supplied to Gaza via the European Temporary International Mechanism. It seems that Ramallah has not requested the fuel from the Europeans. Ultimately the Gaza Power plant, that supplies only 25 percent of the power needs of the Gaza Strip, has closed down completely. There are a number of reasons for this, first of all it is feasible that the Fatah government wants to intentionally deprive Gaza those 25 percent of the power needs and induce pressure on Hamas. This of course would be counterproductive, Gazans lived without electricity for months last year following an Israeli air assault on the power plant. On the other hand it is possible, as implied yesterday by Fatah officials, that that was in fact enough fuel in the reserves to last until Monday or Tuesday and therefor there was no rush. Whatever the reason there are now approximately 600,000 Palestinians disconnected from power as a result of internal "power" squabbling between the parties.

Gaza fuel supply to be replenished

Israeli Army has announced that as far as it was concerned Nahal Oz fuel depot could have been reopened today. Instead it was left up to the private sector, "Dor" fuel company, that runs the depot decided not to work on Saturday and leave about 600,000 Palestinians in another 24 hours of darkness.

Gaza's power plant will be up and running tomorrow, maybe its director will plan better in the future.

According to the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (C.O.G.A.T) in their daily report to the International community between the 15 June (3 days after Hamas's Coup de'tat) and 15 August, 17,184,000 litres of heavy duty diesel was channeled through the depot at Nahal Oz. Reports that originated from Fatah government officials and quoted in the Israeli media claimed that Hamas had stolen fuel supplied for the power plant by the EU via the Temporary International Mechanism, the mechanism designed to circumvent Hamas elected government.

Israel claimed that it was security concerns that caused the closing of the crossing. Whatever the security concern is, whether a sniper, improvised explosive device, a tunnel or a suicide mission, it is perceived by the Gazan population as political punishment. The problem with security alerts, based on intelligence, is if it the threat does not formulate to an attack due to the efficient intelligence and precautions taken accordingly Israel is always blamed. Benjamin Franklin defined intelligence forewarned and forearmed, you can't blame Israel for taking those precautions. Palestinians should look at their leadership for responsibility and accountability, not Israel. Every western country would do the same to protect its frontier.

Gaza In Darkness

This evening, according to reports, about half of the Gaza Strip was blacked out. Reports state that three of the four turbines are no longer working due to a closure of the Nahal Oz fuel depot. Israeli security sources stated that the closure was a result of a security threat. Rafiq Maliha director of the Gaza electric company said that Israel is responsible. As a manager of the only power plant in the strip I would like to ask Mr Maliha why he left the fuel supply run out before speaking to the press? Also, what does Mr Ismail Hania, the ruler of Gaza, have to say to those Palestinians whom are sitting in darkness because he refuses to recognise his own neighbours and his responsibility toward the Gazan population.

Order with out law in Gaza

I was going to write something about the recent implications and situation of chaos in Gaza but the Guardian beat me to it. Hamas ruthless over through comes for a price in the Gaza Strip no freedom of press, no right to congregate, no right to oppose and even getting married is a tricky thing to do.

Here is how Rory McCarthy puts it:

Order without law: Hamas flexes its muscles to assert political authority

Gaza Palestinians welcome safer streets but Fatah rivalry is a volatile undercurrent

Rory McCarthy in Gaza City Thursday August 16, 2007 The Guardian

Six guards from the Hamas Executive Force stood before the shopping crowds in Palestine Square. The men, who are what passes for a police force in Gaza, were dressed in black and armed with Kalashnikovs and wooden batons.
In the pick-up truck behind them was an unhappy man arrested for carrying a knife. Ahead was their next target: dozens of cigarette sellers hawking under the flimsy shade of a few trees.
Although it was not the most pressing security concern in the overcrowded Gaza Strip, it was still a mission that Munir Mohasin, 21, the thin, young patrol commander, took seriously. He said: "We want this place cleaned up. It's not legal for them to stop and sell here. We've had complaints from the shopkeepers and we had complaints that some of them are being rude to women. Some are selling drugs."
His patrol then descended on the hawkers, shouting and shoving until they had confiscated several large boxes of cigarettes and loaded them into their pick-up. Two sellers were arrested; others escaped with a public telling-off.
The sellers, all struggling to make a living, argued back. "There's nowhere else for us to go," Khader Abu Amjad shouted at Mr Mohasin. "Are we just going to play cat and mouse all day?"
After several minutes in the midday heat and more shouting, the Executive Force moved on and the hawkers went back to selling their cigarettes. Later, back at his local station, Mr Mohasin said: "We're not just stopping people selling in the street; we're working for the security of our country."
This has been the message from the Islamist Hamas movement since it seized full control of security in the Gaza Strip two months ago, the culmination of a six-month near-civil war with its rival, Fatah. Palestinians welcomed the return to safety on the streets and the chance to leave their homes without fear, a point Hamas is keen to highlight.
The Hamas-led government was promptly sacked and has now been further isolated by Israel, the west, and Fatah leaders in the occupied West Bank. Now there is growing concern about steps taken by Hamas in recent weeks that appear to go well beyond maintaining order and suggest that it is trying to extend its authority.
Two weeks ago Hamas took off air The Red Line, a weekly political chatshow that has been hosted for the past decade by Hassan al-Kashef. Although a secular leftist and a former head of the Palestinian Authority's information ministry, Mr Kashef, 63, had hosted several Hamas leaders on his show in the past year, including Ismail Haniyeh, the former prime minister, and, by satellite link from Damascus, Khaled Meshal, Hamas's leader in exile.
Recently he broadcast a show about Gaza's economic woes and began by saying what he thought of Hamas. "I was clear that I am with one law, one authority, one legitimate government and that I am against the coup," he said. A few days later, an unsigned letter was received from the Hamas information ministry ordering the TV station not to broadcast The Red Line again. It has been off air ever since. "Hamas made a military coup and now it is making a political coup. But they don't have political experience," said Mr Kashef. "There isn't just one voice in Gaza."
Last month Hamas organised a tour for foreign journalists, a rare foray into public relations to show off what it called "the new face of Gaza: safe, clean and green". But the same day the Executive Force detained several media distributors bringing in Palestinian newspapers from the West Bank. Sami al-Qishawi, director of Gaza's Al-Ayyam newspaper, said the guards were angry over a report of a press conference in Gaza City by a Hamas opponent.
"It is a dangerous sign of control, of trying to have just one voice, of restricting our freedom," said Mr Qishawi. He said although his paper was close to Fatah it was independently financed and had not been alone in reporting the press conference. "We can't just report statistics and the number of people killed," he said. "To make any progress in solving our problems we need to talk about important issues, about freedoms."
A week earlier, a group of armed men, some in masks, others in police uniforms, broke into the office of a Fatah MP in Rafah, southern Gaza. Ashraf Jumaa, one of only a handful of Fatah politicians who has stayed in Gaza, was beaten on the head with a rifle butt and an aide was shot in the leg in what appeared to be a warning. Mr Jumaa insists some of the attackers were members of the Hamas militia, the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades.
"We're in a very bad situation now," said Mr Jumaa. "Hamas says it wants to talk to Fatah but they have to prepare the ground for negotiations, not just say they want it."
Other incidents underscore the continued volatility of factional rivalry here. Several Fatah security officials have been killed this month. Last week, the director of Gaza's main Shifa hospital was sacked and another senior doctor was sacked and arrested, apparently because they refused to take orders from Hamas ministries. On Saturday, 15 Fatah figures were arrested by Hamas men after clashes at a wedding where the guests sang Fatah songs. On Monday Hamas guards fired into the air to disperse a Fatah rally in the city and imposed restrictions on public rallies. Gazans are debating whether these incidents have been ordered by Hamas leaders or local commanders acting independently.
Hamas is trying to exert its authority in a complex, politicised climate. The appointed government in the West Bank has told police and lawyers in Gaza to stay away from work or risk losing their salaries. As a result, courts are not working and Hamas is policing with its 6,000-strong Executive Force, a year-old paramilitary group which the West Bank government declared illegal. One prominent Palestinian businessman described it as "order without law".
There is also an economic crisis and a collapse of private businesses unable to import or export goods since Israel closed Gaza's crossings to all but humanitarian aid after Hamas took over. In the West Bank, Hamas politicians have been harassed and arrested.
Hamas says it is just trying to impose order in an increasingly chaotic Gaza. "People feel for the first time there is a full degree of freedom," said Ahmed Yusuf, an adviser to the former premier Mr Haniyeh. "There is a new look here in Gaza ... There is really a state of law."
He downplayed recent incidents. There had been political problems with Palestine TV, which broadcast Mr Kashef's chatshow and is close to Fatah, he said. On the arrest of the newspaper distributors, he blamed an overzealous local commander. He insisted Hamas was not involved in the attack on Mr Jumaa, the Fatah MP.
"We are not building an Islamic state in Gaza or anything that would be a separate entity," Mr Yusuf said. Apart from security, the public goal of Hamas now is to return to an agreement with Fatah and secure the elusive reform of the many Palestinian security forces. Although there is little sign of any rapprochement, he said secret talks were under way. "We want to bring them [Fatah] to the table to see how we salvage the problem."

Hamas - 2 B or Not 2 Bee - The Sting

Over the last number of days there has been a build up of International dignitaries that have called to engage "moderate" Hamas members. British MP's encouraging Tony Blair, Italian Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, calling to help "Hamas develop". And Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Levrov patting Mahmoud Abbas (AKA Abu Mazen) on the head winking to Hamas.


What is Europe thinking? Hamas is recognized by the EU as a terrorist organization, what effect will engaging Hamas have on the region? What message is Europe sending to other Organizations on Europe's "Black List"?


On the Israel - Palestinian stage, engaging Hamas via so called moderate individuals will undermine the PLO leadership, Abu Mazen, and the Salam Fiyad government. It will pull out the carpet from beneath the feet of Fatah leaders whom are trying to roll back the wheels of Hamas coup d'etat. The boycott of Hamas by the International community has kept the terrorist organization in a state of uncertainty and constant attempt of wooing the world. Trying to find a system of International support without abiding with any of the international conditions. Hamas haven't even shown any act of good will, to prompt the ending of the boycott. Hamas have proven that when they want to free a prisoner they can. They also have yet to show any sort of flexibility that warrants European withdrawal from fundamental human requirements.


On the Middle Eastern stage - What message is Italy, Great Britain and Russia sending to Fundamental Islamists carrying out terror attacks against British soldiers four have been killed in the last week. The message is clear, you can kill us, you can target us, we will engage and treat you as a responsible leadership.




Finally on the European front we will be sending a message that it is OK to carry out terrorism on the continent as long as you have a "good reason". Terrorists and their supporters in Europe will receive a mixed and confusing message sanctioning the very threats that have been foiled recently in England. Blair & Prodi should emphasis the accountability of Hamas toward its own people, what the world expects is a responsible Palestinian leadership whom can stabilize the situation in the Middle East, not draw the region in to further death and despair.

First Time Blogger for Gaza

Today I officially join the world of bloggers. Two months after Hamas overtook the Gaza Strip by ruthlessly annihilating their own brothers, neighbours, leaders I came to the conclusion that I have so much on my mind about the situation in Gaza that I have to put pen to paper and spill.

Today I think I will begin with a thought that has been on my mind since the weekend. The United Nations over the last few weeks have been trying to pitch the issue of Israel reopening the main commercial crossing between Israel & the Gaza Strip. This crossing called "Karni Cargo Terminal" was established in the aftermath of the "good ole days", namely Oslo accords.

The entire concept of the crossing is coordination and cooperation. Palestinians and Israeli's working together to shift produce, raw material and humanitarian aid in both directions across the frontier. While it is clear that Gaza needs its own lifeline, I think it is very hypocritical of the UN to demand opening of a crossing and not demand, at the same time, from the new powers that be in Gaza to state clearly what they want from their neighbours. Hamas still refuse to basic right of Israel to exist in the middle east. Hamas have refused to recognise the previous agreements (that established Karni and other crossing points). Hamas continue to attack Israeli towns in the immediate periphery of the Gaza Strip.

So while Israel facilities the movement of humanitarian aid (according to UNOCHA report) with thousands of truckloads, let us ask ourselves, hand on heart, what western country would put up with daily rocket attacks against their sovereignty and continue to shift aid under fire?

On Thursday the Deputy Commissioner of UNRWA, Mr Fillipo Grandi, concluded a visit to the Gaza Strip only mentioning the need to reopen Karni Terminal. He didn't even mention Hamas, maybe the UN is fearful of its ability to operate, maybe the UN is bias, but one thing is for sure, by ignoring the situation it won't go away.

Winston Churchill once said that a fanatic is someone whom can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Hamas must be accountable for what is happening in the Gaza Strip. The International community must not let Israel be held responsible for an organization that has no regard for human life, Palestinian or Israeli.