U.S. Chooses Sides In Palestinian Struggle
President Plans To End Embargo And Send Money To Newly Formed Fatah-Only Government
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Play CBS Video Video Palestinians Picking Up Pieces Hamas faces a new challenge in Gaza as some there are still loyal to rival Palestinian faction Fatah. Mahmoud Abbas has sworn in a new Prime Minister. Richard Roth reports.
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Video Reconciliation In Palestine Hamas, which now controls most of Gaza, is calling for reconciliation with Fatah. Yet all is not harmonious in Palestine, where Fatah still controls the West Bank. Richard Roth reports.
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Video Palestine Government Dissolved In a final attempt to retain power, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas dissolved his government as the Islamic militant group Hamas seized full control of Gaza. Alison Harmelin reports.
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Palestinian Fatah supporters hold flags after taking over the Palestinian parliament building in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 16, 2007. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
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Palestinian militants from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a group linked to the Fatah Movement, walk past a picture showing the late Yasser Arafat as they take over the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah. The gunmen planted Fatah flags and Palestinian banners on the buildings they had taken over. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
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Masked Palestinian security officers hold their rifles as they patrol the streets of the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 15, 2007. The West Bank, home to most of the Palestinian population, is dominated by the more moderate Fatah, which has ties to Israel and the West; Gaza is now under the control of Hamas, an Islamic movement with close ties to Syria and Iran. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)
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Fearful that Hamas' momentum in the Gaza Strip could spread to the West Bank, Fatah-allied forces staged a show of force. Dozens of activists and others loyal top Hamas, such as Saleh Freihat, a judge in the local courts, have been arrested in the West Bank since Thursday. (AP Photo/Mohammed Ballas)
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Photo Essay Fight For Gaza Hamas and Fatah battle for control of Palestinian territories.
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Interactive Mideast Conflict Events, key players and a history of the world's most unstable region.
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Fast Facts Palestinian Authority Learn about the people, economy and history.
But the money is unlikely to reach Gaza, now controlled by Hamas and cut off from the world.
The new Cabinet is to be sworn in Sunday in the West Bank, where Fatah forces stormed government offices on Saturday, just three days after Hamas seized control of Gaza and Abbas dismantled the Hamas-Fatah coalition government in response.
Abbas on Sunday issued a decree allowing the new Palestinian government to take office without parliamentary approval.
The decree, obtained by The Associated Press, was the latest step by Abbas to consolidate power in the West Bank.
Abbas last week dissolved the unity between his Fatah movement and Hamas in response to the takeover and named U.S.-educated economist Salam Fayad as his new prime minister.
Fayad's moderate government is expected to be sworn into office. With Abbas' move, announced just after midnight, the government can now take office without approval by the Hamas-dominated parliament.
In Gaza, panicked residents stocked up, fearing growing shortages of food, fuel and other staples as the crossings of the fenced-in strip with Israel and Egypt remained closed. Hundreds of other Gazans rushed to the border crossing with Israel to try to escape Hamas rule, but found gates locked. Israeli troops briefly fired warning shots.
Senior officials of Abbas' Fatah movement, who had fled Gaza, started reaching the West Bank. The head of Palestine TV said he had crawled for several hundred yards to evade gunfire at the Gaza-Israel crossing before making it to safety.
"Hamas has always targeted me. Once they fired shots are my car. And they wrote on their Web site that I am broadcasting sedition," said Abdel Salam Abu Nada. Recently, he received an ominous text message on his cellphone saying, "Your punishment is coming."
Across Gaza, Hamas cemented control. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who has ignored Abbas' order firing him, replaced Fatah security commanders with his own men, and Hamas gunmen rounded up their opponents' weapons. In the southern town of Khan Younis, members of the most powerful local clan refused to hand over their guns, and a firefight erupted. Hamas fighters stormed the homes of clan members, saying they confiscated drugs and a weapons cache.
Two Fatah loyalists were killed Saturday, in what Fatah alleged were revenge killings. Also, the bodies of seven Hamas members were found in the basement of the Preventive Security Service headquarters, a Fatah stronghold captured Thursday, and the bullet-riddled corpse of a Fatah field commander turned up in southern Gaza. More than 100 people were killed a week of clashes.
In the West Bank, gunmen from Abbas' Fatah movement attacked Hamas-run institutions, taking control of the parliament and several government ministries. Chanting "Hamas Out," they planted Fatah and Palestinian flags on rooftops. They attacked Deputy Parliament Speaker Hassan Kreisheh, an independent, and left only after warning that government workers with Hamas ties could not return.
In Gaza, Deputy Parliament Speaker Ahmed Bahar of Hamas called Abbas' attempt to form an emergency government illegal.
Abbas, meanwhile, angrily rejected attempts by Arab League chief Amr Moussa to mediate between him and Hamas' supreme leader, Khaled Mashaal. Abbas aide Yasser Abed Rabbo said the president would not engage in a dialogue with "killers."
In the showdown, much of the international community, including the U.S., the European Union and moderate Arab states, is backing Abbas. Declarations of support were likely to be followed soon by a resumption of foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority.
It is not clear yet whether the international funds would reach Gaza, since it was the Hamas victory in legislative elections that led to the embargo 15 months ago.
The U.S. consul general in Jerusalem, Jacob Walles, met with Abbas at his headquarters in Ramallah on Saturday, and said the embargo is expected to be lifted once the new government is sworn in.
"I expect that we are going to be engaged with this government," Walles said after the meeting. "I expect that early next week. There will be some announcements in Washington, specifically about our assistance and about the financial regulations."
The boycott, which has crippled the Palestinian economy, continued even after Fatah joined Hamas in a coalition in March.
Hamas has not explained how it would run Gaza without foreign support or contact with the outside world. Israel controls Gaza's borders, wielding tremendous influence over the movement of people and goods in and out of the area.
On Saturday, there were signs of panic. One Gaza City baker distributed tickets to those lined up for bread. Sarifa Hadad, a mother of seven, bought $40 worth of food, including tomato paste and shortening, and was going from store to store to buy more. "They say the borders are going to be closed, so we are searching for sugar and supplies," she said.
Israel will eventually allow basic supplies into Gaza to prevent a humanitarian disaster, said Public Security Minister Avi Dichter. However, he said Israel would consider Gaza a "terrorist entity" and try to cut off its weapons supply. He said this might require an Israeli deployment along Gaza's border with Egypt, to halt smuggling.
Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, ending a 38-year-old military occupation.
Dozens of Gazans, meanwhile, converged on Gaza's Erez crossing with Israel in hopes of fleeing. One man was carried on top of a luggage trolley with his leg bandaged. Hassan, 21, a presidential guard trainee, said he was shot in the fighting. He gave only his first name because he was afraid of retribution.
About 150 waited at the gate separating Gaza from Israel. Some carried large suitcases, others held tiny plastic bags. One young man shouted "bye, bye, Gaza," and waved as he walked through the covered walkway that leads to the Israeli side.
Symbols of Fatah control, including the Gaza City residence of the late Yasser Arafat were looted. Abbas' office said looters took furniture, including a bed, as well as presents the legendary leader had received in four decades at the helm of Palestinian politics. Hamas security forces later arrived and locked the house. Hamas denied anyone had broken into the building.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
More From World
Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie."
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See all 198 CommentsPosted by radiob
Oh? So you dont know Jesus very well at all. The type of hatred I speak of in Islam is the ethical compromise with heathenism, directly as a promulgation of thier evil doctrine.
Re 2:6 But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Posted by radiob at 02:35 PM : Jun 17, 2007
Yes they were. Todays world has a new terror that My grandparents and yours never had to face, "Fanatic extremists" with Nooklar weapons. Makes for a whole different world, dern it!!!
I remember the look on my parents faces while listening to the news back then, not old enough to fully understand the ramifications of what could occur.Only recalling that look upon their faces was enough to know something was wrong. This was in turn reinforced at school, the theology that all Russians were evil bent on destroying the fabric of life as we knew it.My grandparents were wise and allayed those fears by telling me something I have never forgotten people all over the world are essentially the same wanting the same basic freedoms that we take for granted.I espoused this thought in class and recall the names that were thrown at me and I did not deter from that belief as I knew then that my grandparents were indeed wise.
Posted by radiob at 02:15 PM : Jun 17, 2007
Good post radiob. LOL, I liked it!!!
It was close. D&mn close. And even closer then most of us know. If that nutcase Ahmedinejedad tries anything stupid, he can kiss his country goodbye. And by the way, you won't have to worry about those Palestinians either. Once a card drops, the whole Islamonazi deck of cards will collapse with it.
Posted by USA1881 at 11:41 PM : Jun 16, 2007
This is nothing new. (from an earlier post).
Does anyone here still have a 'bomb shelter' in the back yard? Did anyone here go to sleep one October night in 1962, wondering if they would wake up the next morning, and if they did 'what kind of world would they wake to? I did. But don't laugh, if you didn't live through that time then you have 'no' idea what it was like.
Preparing for danger is a 'human' experience...
facing danger is a 'life' experience.
Posted by pastdue1
International crises happen with or without our help. This president has been the victim of things beyond our control. For example, Iran didn't just get the means for developing nuclear weapons. It has been in development for years. Even President Clinton could only do so much with Iran. The same is true of North Korea and the Arabs have held us hostage with oil as far back as I can remember. Unlike you, some of us feel that our President handles crises well, is very intelligent, and got quite a few "bombs" dropped on him in the form of unanticipated events such as 9/11 and the current crises with the Palestinians.
Or they could simply beget their way into power.No violence neccessary.Only cold water needed ; )
Posted by neoconRcrazy at 10:27 AM : Jun 17, 2007
Have you ever wondered why China is still Chinese. Look at all the amazing hordes that attacked it, then ask where are they now? China is a role model for any country that wants to continue to exist. They overcame their enemies by absorption. They let them conquer the country then absorbed them into the Chinese culture therey ending up the ultimate winner. If the palestine peoples were to stop fighting Israel every step of the way and allow the Jews to feel secure at home (Israel) then quietly start working from within they could achieve their ends without further bloodshed and hatred. Billions of Muslims should be able to 'absorb' millions of Jews
Posted by neoconRcrazy
Some of the land was disputed as to ownership prior to the 1967 war when on 4/7/67 Syrian gunners fired on a farmer and his tractor. Point being that virtually no one on either side of this in power trust the other side to maintain peace and disputed borders or land ownership.Is not some of the poverty self inflicted? Is not some of the poverty inflicted by other Arab nations meddling?
Posted by radiob
israel had recognized borders dating from her 1948 UN statehood. In 1967, ostensibly to confront Nassar's "threat" she declared war and after having destroyed Nassar "army" and airforce and taking the Sinai, crossed her borders to agressively take control of the areas designated by the UN as Palestine - West Bank & Gaza. She also took the Golan from Syria and Sheeba Farm area from Lebanon.
Until today she has retured only the Sinai and poor Gaza which is no more than an "open-air prison".
Posted by neoconRcrazy
Illegal occupation & colonization of what land specifically? Have not the Palestinians along with the Arabs by not investing capital into the economy help create the problems? An Arab apartheid of themselves? The two primary investors in the Palestinian economy are the US and Israel whereas the Arab nations have contributed weaponary and training with which to wage war instead of creating a self sufficient economy.
Posted by radiob
the lands are those taken by israel during the 1967 conflict; Sinai was returned, but the West Bank, East Jerusalem, Golan (let's not even mention Gaza it's not worth it)
True but the crimes are on a different level.
on the one hand you have palestinian suicide bombers, the worst crime of which they are guilty.
on the israeli side you have a mountain of violations - as the the "occupying power" in Palestine the outrages committed by the israeli will fill hundreds of pages but they all stem from one thing : illegal occupation & colonization.
Posted by neoconRcrazy
And your refrence is to the lands prior to the 1967 war or what lands? If not then how can you be arguing for the 62% of Israelis and Palestinians that want peace?
Posted by radiob
Let's say it is israelis looking at themselves. Of course there are those who will reject outright anything which goes against their preconceptions.
But remember that over 60% of israelis want peace and they know they will have to return to their 1967 borders (with some modifications sure) but their will is not being respected.
When stones are thrown, it becomes attempted murder -
when a 4th of july "missle" is fired it becomes a declaration of war -
when 2 soldiers are kidnapped (israelis are holding 10'000 in jail without trial or accusations), it becomes a real war
imagine how we feel with bush scare tactics being used on us and then think how the israelis live continually hearing from their government "we're under attack" -
without saying why - bcause they've stolen the lands of the palestinians.
Posted by neoconRcrazy
Lots of experts that claim they have the unbiased reports from NGO Monitor to B'tselem and everything in between. To think that both sides (Israelis and Palestinians) have never violated international law is absurb. The equilivent of stating that Wounded Knee or Abu Gharib did not occur.
Posted by radiob
NGO Monitor seems to be in the business of criticizing alot of groups.
NGO Monitor has criticized several international human rights organisations, such as Christian Aid (for its alleged "extensive involvement in anti-Israel propaganda campaigns", Human Rights Watch (for being "systematically and exceedingly biased", Amnesty International,Oxfam and Medecins Sans Frontieres.
I can only say, take a look for yourself and see if you find they use "demonizing language".
I didn't. And besides, it's not the language which is important, it's the facts B'Tselem reports. And as for the facts, NGO doesn't contest anything. Strange?
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