Dividing Palestinians Won’t Work

[Castro]

by Haroon Siddiqui

 

There is panic in Ottawa, Washington, Jerusalem and European capitals over Hamas’s stunning military rout of Fatah in the Gaza Strip.

 

The 18-month-long Western policy – which the Stephen Harper Tories took pride in, having been first to announce it – of starving Hamas into submission is in ruins.

 

Yet Canada and others will try more of the same, only on a grander scale – showering greater favours on Fatah and strangling Hamas and the Gazans some more.

 

The new policy is no more likely to succeed than the old.

 

Where we are today is a function of where we have been.

 

Starting in the 1980s, Israel reportedly encouraged the Islamists in order to weaken the secularist resistance. Having done so, it and the U.S. said that Mahmoud Abbas was too weak to negotiate peace with. Now, they are going to prop him up. This attempt at dividing and conquering an occupied people will continue to fail.

 

Palestinians are one people, even if they are killing one another at this time, giving rise to glee in some quarters that they are a warped lot who fail to behave rationally after 40 years of a brutal occupation. The West used to complain, correctly, that Yasser Arafat was corrupt to the core, and also dictatorial. But we colluded with such corrupt and autocratic Fatah operatives as Mohammed Dahlan, the security chief, so he could crack down on Hamas.

 

That only helped Hamas win the January 2006 election, a result we refused to accept, even while paying lip serv ice to democracy.

 

And it was Dahlan’s attempts at undermining the Palestinian government that prompted Hamas last week to finish off the Fatah militias, trash his villa and take over the Fatah security building where kidnapped Hamas operatives used to be held and tortured.

 

Make no mistake about it. Hamas is a terrorist group. It does not recognize Israel and won’t forswear violence against the Jewish state. But Fatah’s hands are also drenched in blood. Its Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has been involved in terrorism, including suicide bombings.

 

Having egged on Abbas to dismiss the elected government and appoint a new prime minister, we are calling him “the legitimate president of all Palestinians.” But in many Palestinian eyes, Ismail Haniyeh remains the legitimate prime minister of all Palestinians.

 

Hamas has been successful not so much because it is “Islamist” but because it fights corruption, provides social services and offers resistance to the occupation.

 

Yet we are being fed a new line: peace can come sans Hamas.

 

As Alexa McDonough, the NDP’s foreign affairs critic, said Tuesday: “Peace cannot be achieved without Hamas at the table. It is a fraud to pretend otherwise.”

 

Listen also to Daniel Levy. He is a former peace negotiator for Israel and is now a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington, where I reached him by phone.

 

Hamas is “the new reality,” he said. Ignoring it is to risk “a further radicalization of Gaza, whose young, unemployed, angry and armed people could prove a fertile ground for Al Qaeda.”

 

Would boosting Abbas work?

 

“That may have worked in 2003 when he was prime minister and in 2005 after the death of Arafat. We are two years too late, at least.”

 

What to do? “Prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Curtail the daily inconveniences in the West Bank. Pursue a two-state solution. But do it by bringing the Palestinians from both sides together, rather than trying the opposite.”

Toronto Star

[xiinfaniin]

Castro, I don’t know which one is the bigger fool here: America & Israel who blind themselves from the reality that’s Hamas, or the European Union & Canada who follow America’s failed policies in this region. Hamas and Hezbollah are popular because they stand something that’s tangible and oppose something that’s real. They stand for justice and oppose oppression and occupation. No initiative, not matter how well funded, can beat that. That’s really it.

[Castro]

^^^^ I hear ya saaxib but don't be fooled by the public pronouncements of disagreement between the US and its allies. These statements are being made for the consumption of the gullible public. When push comes to shove, the US, Europe, Canada and Australia are one regardless what they say in public.

 

From where I stand, the biggest fools seem to be us, the Arabs and Muslims.

[Legend of Zu]

Originally posted by xiinfaniin:

I don’t know which one is the bigger fool here: America & Israel who blind themselves from the reality that’s Hamas, or the European Union & Canada who follow America’s failed policies in this region. Hamas and Hezbollah are popular because they stand something that’s tangible and oppose something that’s real. They stand for justice and oppose oppression and occupation. No initiative, not matter how well funded, can beat that. That’s really it.

^^^ Saying the above statement, in which way would you prefer US-Israel cullision to behave?

 

There are two issues here - While Hamas benefits from the isolation in the military and political spectrum Gaza residents suffer then what will Hamas do?

 

Here, the idea is not to remove Hamas per se or to subjugate them by force instead The Idea is to give Hamas no option but to come to the negotiation [if you can call it a negotiation] table by straving the people. According to them Hamas will do precisely that since Hamas can not stand their community's plight! However, will they take the bait is the q's?

 

The strategy to fund Fatah is to enable them at least to hold Westbank hence the division continues; again it is not to remove Hamas or give Fatah the full controll. Israel does not want Fatah to have a complete control of the Palestinian people either!

 

From the outset; it looks Hamas has two options -

1) To attack Westbank and assume complete control

2) come to the negotiating tables once The US - Allies pretend they realised Hamas's importance - That is after many Palestinians have straved to death or are started to blame Hamas for their stravation.

 

Will this strategy work? Only Hamas can change the coarse of what is about to come.

 

Cheers

 

PS: forgive my haste analysis

[NGONGE]

To compare Hamas to Hezbollah is very laughable. There is a huge difference between the nincompoops of Hamas and the clear thinking/planning of Hezbollah (even though both are considered terrorist organisations). At least Hezbollah never turned its guns on its own people, in spite of major provocations.

 

As for the conflict in that part of the world, I think it will carry on for a while to come.

[NGONGE]

To compare Hamas to Hezbollah is very laughable. There is a huge difference between the nincompoops of Hamas and the clear thinking/planning of Hezbollah (even though both are considered terrorist organisations). At least Hezbollah never turned its guns on its own people, in spite of major provocations.

 

As for the conflict in that part of the world, I think it will carry on for a while to come.

[Peacenow]

Really who cares. They have had 70 years and look at them today.

When the first jews came to 'Palestine' they sold them land and property. When even more came, they fled and lots went to Jordan.

Really its getting boring. The palestinians have lost their chance and they should pack their bag and move to Jordan.

Look at their dear old leader, Arafat, he died of aids in a hospital in Paris. It's finished.

 

Now for Somalis. What lessons can we draw from them. What can we do that they should have done. Will we ever learn.

[Emperor]

^Peacenow the palestinian struggle is here to stay, you and your Jewish people will be dealt with sooner rather than later, spere us with the crocodile tears hiding behind the smoke of a Somali nationalism, you are a big Jewish lobbyist, Expossed!

 

I was going to call for your bann from this boards since you said Arafat died of Aids without bringing forward any proof, a great leader he was and a man who kept alive the palestinian struggle dealing with the Zionist state and America in the best form he could, we cannot tolerate any insults towards our deeply respected Mujahid, may he rest in peace and Alimghty Allah dwell his Raxma upon him...

 

Your influence in this boards is very dim, and your agenda smells from miles away, for that Im not asking the Admin to take you away but the members of SOL to put you on a permament ignore list, take you less serious... whetever you say will have no significane at all.

[Peacenow]

I'm Somali, I'm not Jewish. My viewpoint is constanly from a nationalistic viewpoint. I strongly suspected Arafat was HIV positive, for a long time. Given his personal preferences, it the most likely cause of his death. The New York Times also alluded to the same view. See for youself in the internet it is all there. But this issue is not about him it is about his people.

 

The whole prism of the Somali mentality revolves around sympathy and londing to be approved by the Arabs. To the point, where other Africans, now deny that we are black at all.

[BiLaaL]

Originally posted by NGONGE:

At least Hezbollah never turned its guns on its own people, in spite of major provocations

.

Hamas has not turned on its own people. Yes, they've driven Fatah's security forces out of Gaza but they've done nothing to hurt the common Palestinian. Indeed, their aim is the exact opposite. This is an important distinction. Most of Fatah's civil servants are still in Gaza. Is Hamas purging them? The answer is no.

 

As for why Hamas has taken this action against Fatah? Simple. Fatah has been a thorn on the side of the palestinian cause for far too long. Sure, they may enjoy some support within the territories but this is limited to beneficiaries of its corrupt practices. Fatah comprises of secular and corrupt leaders who have conceded too much ground to the Israelis. Its almost as if they're a bunch of imported proxies. As long as Fatah is around, the palestinian cause will either remain stagnant or recede.

 

Groups like Fatah are a blessing for the West and a curse for the Muslim world. One of the main reasons why the west has succeeded in its intrusions into the Islamic world is due to the existence of groups such as Fatah amongst us. Without such groups, the West's aggression would not have been as bold. Increasing number of Muslims are starting to realise this and are offering an ultimatum to such groups: either represent our cause as we see fit or bow out! The sooner these groups disappear from our radar the sooner we'll be able to achieve our goals.

[Castro]

Mahmoud Abbas cares about the Palestinians as much as Karzai does of the Afghanis and Yey does of Somalis: zilch. All three share the same nijaas collaborator DNA.

[NGONGE]

^^ Not sure that comparing him to the other two men is that fair. The man's history speaks for itself. Are you saying he's a turncoat now?

 

BiLal,

 

Civilians did die in this latest conflict. Most did so at the hands of Hamas fighters. Do you actually follow the news at all? Most of Abbas's closest followers were angry with him for not giving the order to fight back! This information is in the public domain and any sane man can make up his own mind once he looks at it. Don't be as ignorant as Mr Peacenow and start making up your own stories, saaxib. Such ignorance is quite dull.

[Castro]

Abbas' actions since Hamas was elected indicates he is in fact a sellout. The man's history does speak for itself but the past 18 months have likely tarnished what came before it. If he weren't a turncoat, he would not have stood by silently while the West virtually strangles the Palestinian territories economically and militarily since Hamas' sweeping election victory. And as the (ostensible) leader of the Palestinian people, he could (and should) have respected their wishes by not only recognizing Hamas as the free and fairly elected government but also demanding the West and Israel do the same. Alas, he chose not to.

 

A change of guard is in order.

[Allamagan]

Now all the arab secular pro west leaders are behind this thug Abu Mazin in fear of their own future and personal greediness and to avoid the wrath of the mighty US. Any measures or sunctions against Hamas would definitly backfire on the west and their arab poodles. If Hamas have the support of the public, the palistians, then for sure they can survive and once again prove all their critcs wrong.

[Castro]

NGONGE, I'm not the only one comparing Abbas to the other stooges. Perhaps this could shed more light for you on what became of the once heroic Abbas.