Posted on 06/15/2007 7:47:17 AM PDT by SmithL
GAZA CITY (AP) -- On its first day of full rule in Gaza, the Islamic militant Hamas announced Friday that it is granting amnesty to senior Fatah leaders, signaling that it is seeking conciliation with the defeated forces of moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Hamas also said Palestinian security forces, now under its command, would take control of Gaza's crossing with Egypt, which was monitored by European observers until the last decisive battle for Gaza erupted earlier this week.
Gazans awoke to a new reality Friday, fraught with uncertainty and fear that they'll become even poorer and more isolated. Streets were quiet after five days of intense fighting in which the Islamic militants seized the crowded and chaotic territory from their Fatah rivals.
Earlier Friday, Hamas announced it had arrested 10 of the most senior Fatah leaders in the strip, including the commanders of President Mahmoud Abbas' own elite guard unit and the chief of the National Security force.
However, movement spokesman Abu Obdeideh later declared an amnesty for all Fatah leaders. Shortly after the announcement, three Fatah leaders were released.
Still, victorious Hamas supporters vented their rage at Fatah.
Hundreds of people swarmed through the unoccupied house of Fatah strongman Mohammed Dahlan after his neighborhood fell to Hamas, stripping everything, including windows, doors and flowerpots.
A resident of a Hamas-dominated neighborhood, identifying himself only as Yousef for fear of reprisal by his neighbors, said Gazans would always back the winner, regardless of ideology.
"Today everybody is with Hamas because Hamas won the battle. If Fatah had won the battle they'd be with Fatah. We are a hungry people, we are with whoever gives us a bag of flour and a food coupon," said Yousef, 30. "Me, I'm with God and a bag of flour."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Middle eastern amnesty means “come on back and let bygones be bygones” then they kill them.
Oops, wrong thread.
It’s called “bullet to the head” diplomacy.
Well, that’s the islamic method of democracy. Maybe jimmah cahtah can drop in to legitimize the election of a new presidency in the gaza strip.
I'm saving that for a future tagline.
}:-)4
That's even better than my current tag line.
Come on over, we’ll teach you to fly.
Israel, the US, Europe have been just giving you gazillions of bags of flour, food coupons, and even threw in millions of dollars over many years, and they are all satan's, more or less, to you.
No more public summary executions! These guys are just the salt of the earth, I tell ya.
Hopefully, within a week, Fatah will see this as the double-cross that it is. I’m looking forward to watching Hamas try to govern that festering pustule they call Gaza, with Fatah guerilla fighters working to undermine them.
Nice job political idiots in Washington and Tel Aviv! Your idiotic notion you can negotiate with terrorists has yet again created another full terrorist state! Keep offering them peace while they jam war up our butts, real bright. Bring back Bibi and elect a Ronald Regean style leader please. We needs hawks who will not be wishy washy and exacerbate the problem.
If I could say what I wanted to to this post...!
NO AMNESTY! NO AMNESTY! NO AMNESTY!
Oops....wrong thread. :)
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