Hamas faces burden of victory

National Post ^ | 2007-06-16 | Peter Goodspeed

[Clive]

Early yesterday, Hamas gunmen shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) entered the seaside compound of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority President, and completed their seizure of the Gaza Strip.

Now, after five days of intense fighting, in which they staged a successful coup and shattered the unity of the Palestinian Authority, Hamas's leaders face the burden of victory.

They have gained control of one of the most densely populated, isolated and impoverished pieces of real estate in the world. The question is: what will they do next?

Just hours after Hamas's victory was apparent, Islam Shahawan, a spokesman for its Executive Force, boasted, "The era of justice and Islamic rule has arrived."

Ismail Haniyeh, the dismissed Hamas Prime Minister, ignored Mr. Abbas's dissolution of the fractious unity government, insisting he remains in charge of a government that rules both Gaza and the West Bank.

"The Gaza Strip is an indivisible part of the homeland," he said.

In Hamas's new domain, looters had a field day rummaging through Fatah's wrecked offices as black-clad, gunmen sauntered through the dusty streets in a show of force.

All three reactions touched some of the deepest worries surrounding this week's internecine fighting.

Hamas's victory may clear the way for the creation of a radical Islamist state at the epicentre of the Middle East's most intractable conflict.

Fighting between Hamas and Fatah may still spread to the West Bank.

And Gaza, already widely regarded as a cesspit of despair, may descend into the kind of anarchy and chaos that only breeds further turmoil.

There is no doubt the week's events have ushered in a brutal new reality in the Middle East. In beating Fatah and sending its leaders in Gaza scurrying to safety in Egypt and the West Bank, Hamas displayed no tolerance for its enemies. Anyone connected to Fatah was attacked, including the wives and children of militiamen. A crowd of protesters demonstrating against the fighting was fired upon; prisoners were executed and in some cases they were thrown from the roofs of buildings.

It's a bad omen for the type of religious state Hamas wants to set up.

In the months leading up to this week's battles, Gaza residents have been subjected to a barrage of threats and intimidation from different Hamas factions.

In early June, a group calling itself the Islamic Swords of Justice threatened to kill female television news readers if they refuse to wear strict Islamic dress.

"You are without shame or morals," the group declared. "We will cut your throat from vein to vein if need be to protect the spirit and morals of this nation."

The same group claimed responsibility for a string of bomb attacks on Internet cafes, Christian bookstores and restaurants serving alcohol.

Internet cafe s, which provide isolated residents with their most reliable link to the outside world, have been targeted because "they divert the attention of an entire generation to other issues that are not jihad or worship."

A violent religious fundamentalism centred on Gaza could also transform the Israel-Palestinian conflict. After all, Hamas is an acronym for the Arab words for Islamic Resistance Movement; the word itself means "zeal."

Ironically, it was founded in 1987 at the time of the first Palestinian uprising, or intifada, in Gaza and the West Bank. It was tolerated by Israel, which then occupied Gaza, in the hope the Islamic fundamentalists would provide a counterweight to the then-dominant secular militancy of Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement.

Now Hamas has overwhelmed Fatah in Gaza and threatens to carry its fight to the West Bank, Israel finds itself pressed to support Fatah by releasing frozen tax funds and opening its doors to trade and aid with the West Bank.

"The fact that President Abbas has fired the Hamas government is a very positive move in our opinion and makes it easier to deal with and help the moderates," Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, said yesterday.

Israel still maintains a choke-hold on Gaza, controlling all movement in and out of the small coastal strip of scrub desert. It also supplies the territory's 1.4 million people with all their water and electricity.

Right now, the biggest problem facing Israel and Hamas is to find a way round that relationship. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. As a result, it faces international isolation and an aid freeze. Israel refuses to have anything to do with Hamas until it renounces terrorism and agrees to recognize previous signed peace agreements.

For now, Israel has said it is willing to continue allowing humanitarian shipments into Gaza provided its officials don't have to deal with Hamas members when the parcels are delivered.

United Nations officials say they have enough supplies in Gaza warehouses to last "several weeks."

But it won't take much to destroy the strip's economy, which is already crippled by corruption and conflict, and where unemployment has reached 70%.

[Clive]

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[oakcon]

I love it when terrorists find out its a lot harder governing than overthrowing the government. Israel definitely shouldn’t continue aid: let them deal with their own lemon.

[Lurker]

The question is: what will they do next?

Kill people?

Scream "allah akhbar!"?

Talk about killing every Jew in the Middle East?

Launch some rockets at civilians and then dance in the streets?

Kill more people?

Oh wait...they're doing all that now.

SSDD.

L

[MarineDad]

"They have gained control of one of the most densely populated, isolated and impoverished pieces of real estate in the world.

The question is: what will they do next?

Why, make it even worse, of course.

That's what Islam does best.

[EGPWS]

They have gained control of one of the most densely populated, isolated and impoverished pieces of real estate in the world.

Life's a b!tch at the top with no other direction left to go but down. ; )

[Mr Ramsbotham]

The question is: what will they do next?

Apply to the Bush Administration for millions in financial assistance, no doubt.

[Idaho Whacko]

And the Israeli’s still let them receive the welfare that sustains their murder sprees.

Fools.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Hmmm! Now, here’s a conundrum-—

Israel supplies all the water and electricity to Gaza.
But, Israel does not exist.
Therefore, no water and electricity can be provided.

[Lewite]

Cut off the lights and the water, bring the sorry rag heads to their knees. Let them dig their own wells and produce electricity. That should keep them busy for at least two hundred years.

[EGPWS]

But it won't take much to destroy the strip's economy, which is already crippled by corruption and conflict, and where unemployment has reached 70%.

They need the assistance of the UN.

The UN can help them learn to drag on the crippling conflict and corruption by using others money to maintain it.

[GBA]

The people voted for hamas and now they have it. What a joyful day it is. Killing the opposition, their wives and children, killing protesters, throwing people off of buildings to their deaths...islam sure sounds like fun. No doubt about it, prosperity is just around the corner.

[wgflyer]

The “burden of victory” isn’t much of a burden for totalitarians. They simply kill opposition, where ever it raises it’s head. Victory is a burden for great nations because they try to restore some type of humanity and civilization to their conquests.

The burden for Hamas is to consolidate their strength as quickly as possible in order to wage more effective war on Israel. The latter, of course, will have no choice other than to drive all palastinians in Gaza into the sea and be done with it.

Now, THAT would be a blessing.

[ConservaTexan]

"The era of justice and Islamic rule has arrived."

Oxymoron.

[Chode]

you can TAKE anything you want in this world...

the question is, are you strong enough to KEEP it???

[kindred]

[The question is: what will they do next?]

Simple answer, they will set up more weapons to destroy Israel and then come against America if they can destroy Israel. The Israeli politicians are as foolish as American politicians and refuse to do the right thing, seize the land and set up Israeli government (no islamic arabs allowed to dwell there or be politicians) so that law and order can be established in Jewish nation of Israel.
All the land for peace deals will result in disaster for Israel and America and I belive that disaster will come because of these bad deals. May the Lord God of Israel and His Son JESUS rule and reign from the land of Israel.

[johnny7]

But it won't take much to destroy the strip's economy, which is already crippled by corruption and conflict, and where unemployment has reached 70%.

These jackal's survive on spilled blood... to entertain the thought that they aspire to the betterment of their lot is ludicrous.

[Vn_survivor_67-68]

Hamas has popularized itself in Gaza, etc, in the same way that Hezbollah did it in Lebanon......they truly provide goods and services..............separate, but in addition to political/”religious” idealogy. Most if not all of the other groups provide little or nothing that is tangible, and the funding just disappears, leaving only lip service for the subject population.

Its really simple.....a question of “what have you done for me lately?”

[Erik Latranyi]

The question is: what will they do next?

Now that Hamas controls a port, they will smuggle a nuclear weapon right onto Israel's doorstep.

[SHOOT THE MOON bat]

In the months leading up to this week's battles, Gaza residents have been subjected to a barrage of threats and intimidation from different Hamas factions.

Now that they have thrown out Fatah how long will it be before they turn on each other? How long will it take before Hamas breaks down into little crime tribes and start jihadi on jihadi killing?