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Gaza lurches towards civil war
 | And if the Times says they're lurching, they're lurching! |
Gaza was on the brink of civil war last night as violent clashes between Palestinian factions spiralled out of control. Mahmoud Abbas, the ineffectual Palestinian President, threatened to declare a state of emergency today, as fierce fighting raged on the streets.
But as the death toll climbed to more than 40 in four days of the worst fighting since Mr Abbas forged a coalition Government with Fatahs rival Hamas two months ago, he appeared powerless to stop it. Neither faction has been able or particularly willing to enforce three separate ceasefires declared in as many days. Rare, high-level talks between Mr Abbas and Khaled Meshaal, Hamass terrorist exiled leader, failed to produce any results beyond a loose agreement that the violence should end.
Hamas issued orders for its fighters to lay down their weapons late yesterday but there was no indication whether the order would be obeyed.
| You mean Hamas gunnies don't obey orders? Mwha-ha-ha. |
 At least 16 Palestinians were shot dead in internecine fighting yesterday and four Hamas gunmen were killed when an Israeli helicopter helizapped bombed their training camp near Rafah.
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. If the unity Government falls, the Palestinian Authority will dissolve, said Mustafa Barghouti, the Palestinian Information Minister.
| Boy howdy that'd be a shame. |
He said Mr Abbas had told his Cabinet on Monday night: This is my Government and if it falls, I will fall with it. 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.
| Except they're not occupying Gaza, and they can seal off the West Bank. You boys wanted to be sovereign -- congrats, you got it. |
Mr Abbass resignation would effectively sever ties between the Palestinians and the West, which refuses to deal with the militant Hamas movement.
Some Palestinian analysts predict that a collapse of the Palestinian Authority would pave the way for Jordanian custodial rule in the West Bank and a similar arrangement for Egypt in Gaza. The message is the Palestinians cannot rule themselves and never could. This fighting will only end if a third party takes over, said Ibrahim Abrash, a political analyst in Gaza.
| Oh sure, that's all it takes, the Egyptians and Jordanians were so good at keeping the Paleos under control before '67 ... |
At the heart of the current conflict lies the unresolved rivalry between Mr Abbass Fatah Party and Hamas, led by Ismail Haniya, the Prime Minister. Despite a Saudi-brokered power-sharing agreement signed by the two leaders in March in Mecca aimed at ending factional fighting and restoring economic aid to the Palestinian Authority, the Unity Government has failed to achieve either goal.
The resignation of Hani al-Qawasmeh, the Governments top security official, this week, highlighted the bitter divide between Hamas and Fatah over who controls the Palestinian security forces. The promise of peace under unified rule has failed to trump factional loyalties, which have only become more deeply entrenched as law and order dissolves.
Hamas has accused Fatah of collaborating with Washington, and accepting money and arms to bolster Mr Abbass elite Presidential Guard.
| Collaborate with Washington? There's a death sentence. |
Fatah counters that Hamas fighters are undermining the unity Governments non-existent authority and the Palestinian cause by refusing to lay down their weapons or fall into rank.
Posted by: Steve White 2007-05-17 |
