|
Gaza Could Become Al Qaida Sanctuary
Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could turn the Palestinian area into a sanctuary for Al Qaida, a new report said.
| A larger version of Ein el-Hellhole, perhaps? |
The Jerusalem-based Institute for Contemporary Affairs said Al Qaida could fill the vacuum left by the death of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and the departure of Israel from the Gaza Strip.
| I'm making the assumption the writers don't want them to depart... |
The report envisioned the prospect of a Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip and its invitation to other Islamic insurgency groups, such as Al Qaida. "The eventual takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas certainly cannot be ruled out, given the enormous political clout it already possesses and the relative decline of the Fatah movement in recent years," the report, authored by [Res.] Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror, a former military intelligence chief, said. "Even if the Hamas takeover is partial and Hamas only shares power with Fatah in Gaza, the political behavior of a post-withdrawal Palestinian government will have to be very carefully monitored." Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, Al Qaida has sought sanctuaries in Iraq, Mali, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. The report said the ideological affinity between Hamas and Al Qaida would convert the Gaza Strip into a base for Osama Bin Laden's movement.
Posted by: Fred 2005-02-03 |
