August 22,
2005
Hamas Primed
as Political Force in Gaza
Israel's withdrawal from Gaza is now complete. The West
Bank settlements are next. The Israelis' hope here is
for some sort of peace with the Palestinians. But if early
statements from the Palestinian side are any indication,
peace is the furthest thing from their minds. Mahmoud
Abbas, the supposedly "moderate" chairman of
the Palestinian Authority, said on Sunday that "the
blood of martyrs" led to Israel's retreat from Gaza.
What a message to send to Palestinian young people: hey
kids, suicide bombing works!” Abbas also said the
Gaza withdrawal was only a first step: “Tomorrow
they will leave Jenin," he said, "and after
that the West Bank and Jerusalem." Abbas didn't mention
whether this would require more "martyrs," but
the implication was clear.
Even more troubling than Abbas's rhetoric have been statements
made by the terrorist group Hamas, which is now primed
to become the main political force in Gaza. Numerous Hamas
leaders have already indicated over the past few days
that their jihad against Israel will never end, no matter
how much land Israel relinquishes to Palestinian control.
The Israeli Arutz Sheva Web site reports that on August
18, an announcer on Hamas' radio station, Radio Al-Aqsa,
stated:
“We will be victorious over Sharon, and you will
realize that tomorrow with the help of Allah. The Izzadine
al-Qassam Battalions [Hamas' military wing] will make
you tremble in Haifa, in Tel Aviv. They will strike you
in Safed, in Acre. Wait for us in Jaffa, Haifa, Tel Aviv,
Ashkelon. The knights of Gaza are coming. Our beloved
sons of Palestine, we make no distinction between [Israeli-controlled]
Palestine and [the West Bank and Gaza Strip] Palestine.
There is no difference between Jaffa and Gaza, between
the Galilee and Hebron. Hamas will leave Gaza and break
out throughout Palestine to show the way of jihad, which
will bring our nation to its summit. Oh sons of Zion,
the defeat you suffered in Gaza is just the beginning…”
Yes, things have really changed in Gaza since the withdrawal;
they've become utter peaceniks. I bet they even have flowers
in their hair as we speak. Just check out this tidbit
from yesterday's Jerusalem Post:
"Hamas also revealed over the weekend that dozens
of women in the Gaza Strip have joined its armed wing,
Izzaddin Kassam, and were preparing to carry out attacks
on Israel. Pictures posted on the Hamas-affiliated Palestine
Information Center Web site showed masked women, dressed
in military fatigues and armed with Kalashnikov rifles
and pistols, receiving training at a secret location in
the Gaza Strip. According to Hamas, the women were being
trained in planting roadside bombs, firing rockets and
mortars, and infiltrating Jewish settlements."
Yes, Hamas in Gaza is shaping up to be quite neighborly,
a real bastion of women's rights and human dignity. By
the way, if you thought Hamas only hated Israel, one of
the group's leaders in Gaza, Mahmoud al-Zahar, told an
Arabic newspaper last week that "Christian Zionism
is criminal.” Interestingly enough, in the same
breath, al-Zahar also said that Hamas did not consider
the West an enemy. History says otherwise, as this article
I wrote in the New
York Sun last year clearly shows.
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