Israel Matzav

Gaza 'Palestinians' pray for 'occupation'

In Haaretz, Avi Issacharoff, Israel Radio's longtime Arab affairs correspondent, reports that many 'Palestinians' are praying for a new Israeli 'occupation' to save them from the current civil war:

Four days into the current round in the Palestinian civil war in the Gaza Strip, with Fatah fighting Hamas, several phenomena have emerged:

1. Hamas has won every confrontation since fighting started Sunday. Its military dominance and supremacy are clear. Nearly all the fatalities have been from Hamas attacks. Even the five Hamas militants killed Wednesday died in an assault by their comrades against a Fatah force that took them hostage. Hamas is conducting itself like a military organization: It moves its forces, positions snipers, uses light artillery (mortars, for example), sets up ambushes in strategic locations, and systematically targets Fatah's leadership in the Gaza Strip, based on hit lists it has drafted.

2a. Fatah's leadership vacuum is the main reason for the group's defeat in the current round.

...

3. The Israel Defense Forces attack against the Hamas Executive Force headquarters in Rafah was not aimed at putting an end to the Qassams. Such attack actually may strengthen Hamas' standing among the Palestinians. But in view of television shots of Sderot being evacuated and given the approaching Labor primaries, the Israeli leadership is finding restraint difficult.

4. The Gazans are repeating one clear message: only Israeli occupation will save them. There is no other solution on the horizon.

Read the whole thing. And read the comments and watch the Israelis do acrobatics to find ways to blame themselves for what's going on there.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:53 PM