MG> BK>>>  However, as you may notice his increasing evasiveness to my
MG> BK>>>  queries, you should begin to suspect he sees things coming
MG> BK>>>  down the pike he won't like.

MG> BK>>   Well, let's see. I had been under the impression you retired

MG> SH> You are talking to yourself again, fat boy.

MG>In an attempt to get this thread back on topic I found this the other
MG>day:

MG>The Shield of Achilles: Civil War Raging In Gaza [Updated]

MG>Finally this story is getting the treatment in the press it deserves;
MG>this morning it headlined both CNN and Fox News (I discussed it three
MG>weeks ago here). The hesitation is telling; it's as if the mainstream
MG>media is a little confused when they have a Palestine story that they
MG>can't possibly blame on Israel or the US, so they are uncertain how
MG>to report it.

MG>Well, almost everyone. There are some fringe groups, like the
MG>lunatics at "Wakeupfromyourslumber.com" (an anti-semitic conspiracy
MG>theory site, dedicated to destroying Israel) who claim: "Palestinian
MG>PM survives assassination attempt at hands of Israel's agents", when
MG>in fact it was the Fatah militia that tried to kill the Prime
MG>Minister. But since Fatah is considered slightly more moderate than
MG>Hamas, and slightly less oriented toward destroying Israel, that
MG>somehow makes them "Israeli agents". Never mind the fact that Fatah 
used
MG> to be a part of the PLO...

MG>80 people have been killed since the Hamas-Fatah fighting erupted
MG>last month, but it was only Sunday, when two men were publicly killed
MG>by throwing them off buildings, that the media started reporting in
MG>earnest.

MG>Exactly what are they fighting over? After the elections in 2006,
MG>Hamas won most of the Parliament seats but have been unable to set up
MG>a stable government. Right now, Hamas, which supports the Prime
MG>Minister, and Fatah, which supports the President, are in a power
MG>struggle over who has authority over what. In addition, the
MG>government has been unable to meet its full payroll, partially
MG>because much international aid was suspended after Hamas was elected.
MG>After this episode, Fatah supporters drew up a document which would,
MG>indirectly, recognize Israel in the hopes that this might free up the
MG>international funds. President Abbas called for a referendum on it, 
and 
MG>Hamas rejected it. Not just with words, but with bullets.

MG>So does anyone there want peace? Some do:
MG>About 1,000 Palestinians marched through Gaza City urging the rival
MG>factions to "stop the killing".

MG>The demonstration drew gunfire from armed men on nearby buildings
MG>killing at least one protester. It was not immediately clear who was
MG>responsible for the shooting. Thus endeth the peace rally...

MG>Meanwhile, up in Lebanon, the government is still struggling with
MG>Fatah militants in the Palestinian refugee population.

MG>Does anyone still support giving the Palestinians a state right now?

MG>Update 7/14/2007 08:22:00PM: Hamas now effectively controls the Gaza
MG>strip, while the President has dissolved the current government.

MG>Apparently, some still can blame the conflict on Israel. From James
MG>Taranto's "Best of the Web":
MG>[The Boston Globe:] The Hamas campaign to eradicate Fatah from Gaza
MG>is certainly not the sole cause of Gazans' misery. They long suffered
MG>from Israel's suffocating occupation, and then from Ariel Sharon's
MG>foolishly unilateral withdrawal in 2005, a move that allowed Hamas to
MG>bid for power with the misleading claim that its rockets and suicide
MG>bombings had driven Israeli soldiers and settlers out of Gaza.

MG>[Response by James Taranto:] According to the Globe, Israel is to
MG>blame both for its "occupation" and for having ended it--the latter
MG>of which "allowed Hamas to bid for power." But "the
people of Gaza"
MG>are innocent victims. It somehow escapes the Globe's notice that
MG>Hamas came to power because Palestinians voted for it. The Globe
MG>denies that Palestinians are responsible for their own actions, and
MG>thereby dehumanizes them under a pretense of compassion.

MG>http://shieldofachilles.blogspot.com/2007/06/civil-war-raging-in-gaza
MG>.html

This is long overdue and not just for the Palestinians, but for many 
Arab countries.  I saw Charles Krauthammer on Foxnews a few years back 
talking about this and he predicted that there would be no peace with 
Israel or the West until the Palestinians went through their own civil 
war and decided what they stand for.  I suspect this is far from over.  


Jeff


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