I wish I was a better writer. This subject is so important. And the minute-by-minute decisions our politicians make influences so many millions of people, for good or for a potentially unbearable and caustic life. If I believe in one thing, is that all the facts have to come out and be debated before a plan is implemented.
After the unexpected takeover by Hamas in Gaza, Hamas began confronting the clan responsible for kidnapping a British journalist. And this week helped reopen the negotiations of releasing the Israeli soldier Shalit.
At first I thought if Hamas really wanted to bring law and order to Gaza, stop the qassam rockets, get Hamas politicians out of IDF custody, and begin to lead as they were elected to do by the people of Palestine, they should show good faith by working to release Shalit. Israel has acted first, and wants to release 250 Palestinians to show their "good will", but only to Fatah, furthering destroying the Unity Government.
But Israel refuses to release, the one prisoner that could bring about a Unity Government, Marwan Barghouti, former Secretary-General of Fatah in the West Bank.
Yet,
Hamas continues trying to disarming fatah and crime gangs
Hamas has, however, scored a major success in securing most of the weapons of the routed security forces, most of which were loyal to Fatah, Hamas and analysts said.
snip
"It looks to us that Hamas has succeeded in collecting the majority of the registered weapons that belong to the Palestinian security forces," said Hazem Abu Shanab, a Gaza-based political analyst.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Interesting Haartz article:
Modern history - including Israel's - has known national leaders who turned to violence and were jailed for years, until they were released to become political leaders who marched their peoples toward independence peacefully. Nelson Mandela is one such example. The leaders of the Zionist undergrounds in prestate Israel are another. Now, Barghouti's turn has come. Environmental Protection Minister Gideon Ezra deserves praise for speaking in favor of releasing Barghouti. Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer did not rule out the possibility either.
Fatah's moderate leadership is in a serious crisis. Israel's interest calls for its consolidation, albeit after outrageous delays, and no one matches Barghouti's ability to achieve that. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's promises in Washington that Israel would be willing to take "far-reaching" measures to assist the Palestinian Authority's emergency government must be backed by immediate action. Releasing prisoners is the first step one should demand of anyone who promises such steps.
The Israeli government should have long since helped Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to govern his people. Among other measures, it should have done this by allowing him to bring home real achievements. Releasing prisoners, Barghouti among them, could serve to change the atmosphere between Israel and the Palestinians in a heartbeat. It would prove the sincerity of Israel's statements regarding its intention to turn over a new leaf and bolster the moderate forces. The issue of prisoners who have been jailed for years holds extreme importance for Palestinian society. Any Palestinian leader who would succeed in bringing about their release will receive instant and widespread public sympathy.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Al-qaeda would love to move in on Gaza, Army of Islam a terrorist group which has links to al-qaeda holds British prisoner:
Hamas fighting Al-qaeda
Army of Islam demands:
The message demanded that Abu Mohammed al-Maqdisi, who is being held in Jordan, be released. Al-Maqdisi is known as the spiritual mentor of al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
Earlier, the group demanded freedom for Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her role in the al-Qaida led triple hotel bombing in Jordan in 2005 that killed 60 people, Jordan's worst terror attack. Al-Rishawi, 35, was intended to be one of the suicide bombers.
In its message, the Palestinian group also called the Hamas arrest of two of its members a "declaration of war." The group threatened to target Hamas leaders if attacked
In response, Ghazi Hamad, spokesman for deposed PA Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, said, "We reject the continued captivity of Alan and we are still working to release him at the soonest possible opportunity." He did not relate to the declaration of war comment.
http://www.jpost.com/...
Who to believe:
Fatah blocking release of BBC man - Hamas
Hamas accused the Fatah-led Palestinian leadership on Sunday of sabotaging the release of BBC journalist Alan Johnston, who has been held hostage by Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip for more than 100 days. "Efforts are being made to torpedo the great achievements of Hamas in restoring calm to the streets of Gaza and this has repercussions for efforts to free the journalist Johnston," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said in a statement. "Some people are trying to block this issue despite the fact that we were on the point of resolving it."
snip
Abu Zuhri accused unidentified senior officials from the Palestinian Authority headed by President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah of working for the continuation of Johnston's captivity from their base in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.
"There have been contacts though special channels from Ramallah with the kidnappers - that we have been able to intercept - to prevent the release," he said.
Abbas and Netenyahu have called for Jordan forces to help in West Bank, and now Saudi king visits Jordan--first visit by Saudi ruler in 25 years----WHAT does it mean?
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah arrived Wednesday in Jordan for talks on ways to restart Palestinian-Israeli peacemaking and stop violence wracking Iraq and Lebanon.
Jordan's King Abdullah II and top government officials greeted the Saudi ruler on arrival at Amman airport ahead of talks due to open later Wednesday.
Chief Jordanian government spokesman Nasser Judeh said discussions with the Saudi king will focus on Mideast peacemaking, Iraq and Lebanon. "The talks are very important due to regional circumstances and their repercussions," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Meanwhile Israelis are making a little progress against settlers:
Police uncover weapons lab in home of West Bank settler
Police have uncovered a weapons lab in the home of a West Bank settler that they believe was used to illegally fix decommissioned guns, according to information made public Thursday.
In a raid on the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, police found equipment used to manufacture bullet casings, as well as reference books on how to manufacture weapons and explosives. Police also found 15 Uzi semiautomatic rifles, three of which had been restored to function properly.
Police have yet to determine what the weapons were intended for, and if they were to be used in a terrorist or criminal plot. The prime suspect, a secular Jew of Russian origin, apparently was not acting out of ideological motives.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
And:
Settlers return olive trees stolen from Palestinian-owned grove
Residents of the West Bank settlement outpost of Adei Ad began replanting hundreds of olive trees on Tuesday that they had uprooted from Palestinian lands last week.
The trees were returned to their Palestinian owner, a resident of Kafr Karyut, at the insistence of the Civil Administration. After the farmer complained that some 300 of his trees had been stolen by settlers, the Civil Administration investigated and found that not only had the trees been stolen, but some of them had been replanted in Adei Ad or along the access road to the outpost. It then ordered the settlers to return the trees by on Tuesday.
snip
A senior Civil Administration source responded that the agency investigated the claim that the grove was owned by Jews, but concluded that the land was in fact Palestinian-owned.
http://www.haaretz.com/...
Is Palestine's "Altalena" moment confronting the independent militias? David Ben-Gurion ordered the shelling of the Irgun's arms ship "Altalena," destroying Jewish dissidents in 1948 in order to create a unity govenment.
Lavrov says Hamas-Fatah rift problem for Israel
Russian foreign minister warns Israel faces tough challenges if Palestinians remain divided
Israel faces tough challenges if the Palestinian Authority remains divided between Hamas in Gaza and President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah faction in the West Bank, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Tuesday.
"We do not want Palestine to be torn apart by a civil war," he said. "United Palestine is needed by Palestinians. Otherwise, it would be impossible to resolve problems," Lavrov said after talks with his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni.
He said that Russia was opposed to a "divide and conquer" policy which would isolate Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Fatah in the West Bank.
http://www.ynetnews.com/...
Fatah has told militant groups to unarm, but what does that mean?
Zacharias Zubeidi, leader of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in the northern West Bank city of Jenin, told WND the decree from Abbas' office for armed groups to be dismantled "has nothing to do with the Brigades. It's meant for Hamas. Abbas recognizes the Brigades as a legitimate source of resistance."
Together with the Islamic Jihad terror group, the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel the past two years. The Brigades regularly carries out shooting attacks and has taken credit for firing hundreds of rockets from the Gaza Strip aimed at nearby Jewish population centers.
Many members of the Brigades openly serve in Fatah militias, including Force 17, Abbas' presidential guard units which serve as de facto police officers in the West Bank.
http://www.ynetnews.com/...
IDF has now entered Gaza, because Hamas has been unable to control qassams:
Gaza hospital faces shortage in equipment, blood units
As injured continue to pour into Gaza's Shifa hospital, physicians struggle with limited equipment, lack of medicine and beds. 'We're not sure we would be able to save the critically injured,' one doctor says
The Shifa hospital in Gaza can barely keep up with the inflow of casualties wounded in clashes with the IDF throughput the day, as doctors try to function despite the severe lack of medical equipment and beds.
Dr Jumaa al-Saka, who works at the hospital told Ynet, "We received seven dead people and 40 injured, including seven who were in critical condition. Most of them were wounded by gunshots or from ricochets."
http://www.ynetnews.com/...
Lot's of news. And I am ambivalence about Blair's position as Middle Eastern envoy. He's too much of a militant. But it's a good sign that finally some energy is going into the creation of a Palestine State.
First steps?
Immediately start working on final status issues. Including what calculating compensation to Palestinians for lost land and property. Identifying how many refugees will be able to return per year to Israel. And stopping all new settlement buildings and demonstrations in the West Bank.
Hamas should aggressively act to stop clans from firing qassams. Do whatever it takes to get Army of Islam to release Brit, and negotiation Shait for Barghouti. Continue to call for Unity government and the release of Hamas politicians.
Fatah needs to get aid released asap, and pressure world community to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. asap.
Comments?