Posted on 06/12/2007 6:56:39 AM PDT by jhpigott
Hamas, stepping up a rapidly expanding power struggle, Tuesday afternoon attacked installations of security forces allied to the rival Fatah movement across the Gaza Strip.
The violence, which erupted Monday morning after days of simmering tensions, has claimed 17 lives so far.
The Hamas forces captured several positions from Fatah, and threatened to step up the offensive. Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah accused Hamas of staging a coup.
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Fatah sources said they believe Hamas is trying to achieve a decisive victory in the Gaza Strip within hours.
In the northern Gaza Strip, about 200 Hamas gunmen surrounded the one compound, where some 500 Fatah fighters were holed up. Hamas fired mortars and rocket-propelled grenades at the building.
"They are attacking from all sides," said one of the officers, Khaled Awad.
Hamas earlier demanded that Fatah security forces abandon their positions, threatening to attack those who remained in their posts.
Colonel Nasser Khaldi, a Fatah commander in southern Gaza, confirmed his men were on the defensive.
Khaldi said Abbas must now give orders to fight back.
"There is a weakness of our leaders," he said. "Hamas is just taking over our positions. There are no orders."
In Khan Yunis, streets were deserted. A member of the Fatah-allied forces there said that Hamas had taken several smaller Fatah positions, but that the main compound holding three branches was still under Fatah control.
The officer said Hamas had taken over a building next to the compound.
"Our orders are to defend ourselves if they come, but not to attack," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
However, if Abbas and company pulls out of the govt, that leaves Hamas alone in charge, which will leave no doubt with Israel that they have no one to talk to on the Palestinian side.
On another note, when things get hot over in that part of the world, Hizbullah has been known to lend its support with "solidarity" strikes against Israel, like what happened last summer when the IDF went after Gaza after the Shilat kidnapping and that ended up kicking off the 2nd Lebanon War.
Full scale gang warfare.
The perfect storm is approaching, is Israel ready?
Hamas takes Gaza, Hezb goes after Lebanon, Syria & Egypt come over the borders and Iran backs Syria, Hezb and Hamas.
What are the ramifications for our efforts in Iraq?
So Hamas, is trying to get rid of all Fatah in one day.
Then what happens to Hamas?
If we back Israel (as I think we must) the whole Iraqi population takes to the streets against us. Bad news all around.
I hope Hamas destroys Abbas and Fatah.
Hamas “will leave no doubt with Israel.”
Abbas and Fatah give Israel just enough doubt to endanger itself.
It is doubt which threatens Israel.
I agree. Perhaps this will force Israel to come to its senses as to what they are really dealing with. Peace thru negotiations sounds nice, but often times peace only comes at the end of a sword.
The middle east, I believe, is at critical mass. There are just too many flashpoints, any one of which could set the whole region off.
1. Israeli-Palestinain conflict
2. greater Israeli-Arab conflict
3. Palestianian civil war
4. Lebanese conflict with Al-Nansar Islam (Tripoli area)
5. Lebanese-Syrian tensions due to the Hariri murder (and the upcoming UN trial)
6. Hizbullah
7. Israel-Syria (resurfacing of the struggle for the Golan, redeployment of forces to the border)
8. Turkish and Iranian conflict with the Kurds (Turks have mobilized on the Iraq border and there have been numerous reports of Iranian and Turkish shelling of northern Iraq)
9. Iranian nuclear issue
10.Continued conflict in Iraq
Does the pot continue to simmer, or are we going to see it boil over this summer?
That is a short list.
Unless the real war is with Iran, I don’t think the USN is going to get involved.
The only other scenario I could see the U.S. getting directly involved with is if the balloon goes all the way up bwtn Israel and Syria. In that event there may be some limited U.S. action on the Syria-Iraq border just to keep Syria honest
do have some more to add?
that’s all I could think of off the top of my head of the current issues that could really cause some problems.
I suppose if the militants in Pakistan ever booted Musharaf out, we could have a big problem. Afghanistan/Taliban seems to be contained as of the moment. I guess one always has to take note of the Arab street in places like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia and the potential for a coup de’ etat
I wonder if we are going to see a partition of “Palestine” similiar to what happened with Pakistan and Bangladesh - the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas and the West Bank run by Arafart’s successors.
Israel needs to stay out of this. It’s a family feud.
Yes. I was thinking of Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. And I suppose you could add Russia and Eurabia, too.
To clarify that, I mean AQ’s declaration of war against India. I have no belief that India itself is not peaceful.
Since talking doesn’t do the Israelis any good, its still not a bad thing.
Dead Hamas, Dead Fatah - they’re all dead Palis, which is a good thing.
The more "martyrs", the better...
Now that is what I call a target rich environment. Time to field test the MOAB?
“I wonder if we are going to see a partition of “Palestine” similiar to what happened with Pakistan and Bangladesh - the Gaza Strip controlled by Hamas and the West Bank run by Arafart’s successors.”
That would seem the natural thing to do as Hamas power base is traditionally located in the Gaza Strip and the PA’s power base in the West Bank.
Personaly, I’d like to see Israel annex the Gaza Strip, West Bank and Golan
I think Israel wants to stay out of it. Problem is, these groups (particularly Hamas) have used attacks against Israel during internal conflicts to refocus the angst against Israel in order to deflect the “domestic” problems
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