GAZA CITY
Gun Battles Rage Across Gaza
Rival Factions Clash As Hamas Cracks Down On Fatah Celebrations
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Palestinians carry the bodies of Mohammed Abu Al-Wafa and Mahmoud Abu Taha during their funeral in Khan Younis refugee camp, southern Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2008. Celebrations marking the founding of the veteran Palestinian movement, Fatah, turned deadly in the Gaza Strip, where eight Palestinians were killed in clashes between Fatah backers and supporters of the territory's Islamic Hamas rulers. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)
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Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in a Palestinian civil war in June, has banned gatherings by the rival and more moderate Fatah. But Fatah defied the ban, prompting Hamas to launch a new crackdown early Tuesday. Dozens of Fatah activists were arrested.
The fighting stretched into a second day, leaving a total of eight dead and 60 wounded, despite an unusually conciliatory speech toward Hamas by Fatah's leader, President Mahmoud Abbas.
Continued clashes could undermine next week's scheduled visit to the region by U.S. President George W. Bush, who will try to prod Israel and the Palestinians closer to peace.
Five Palestinians died in fighting across Gaza on Monday, and a sixth died of his wounds Tuesday morning, medical officials said. Two others were killed in Gaza City early Tuesday in a gunbattle between Hamas security men and a family affiliated with Fatah, leaving one Hamas policeman and a Fatah supporter dead.
The eight dead included three Hamas and three Fatah supporters, officials said. Also killed were an elderly man caught in a crossfire in northern Gaza and a 14-year-old Hamas supporter shot in the southern town of Khan Younis after he exited a mosque, relatives said.
The deaths were the first in Palestinian infighting since Hamas forces opened fire on a huge Fatah rally on Nov. 11, killing eight and wounding 85. That gathering was the first sign of Fatah resurgence since the Hamas takeover.
Fatah said dozens of activists were arrested overnight Tuesday, and one of its leaders in Gaza City was briefly detained by Hamas forces who shaved off half his hair and mustache as humiliation. Hamas denied the charge.
Islam Shahwan, a spokesman for Hamas security forces, confirmed only that his men made a number of arrests. Hamas officials said all Fatah celebrations, including small gatherings, would be banned Tuesday, the actual anniversary of Fatah's founding.
Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas official in Gaza, said the Gaza government "will pursue the killers and bring them to justice and punish them according to the law. We are not going to show mercy for these crimes."
After the Gaza takeover, Abbas expelled Hamas from government and installed his own pro-Western administration based in the West Bank.
In late November, he and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert relaunched peace talks in Annapolis, Maryland, and set a 2008 target for a peace treaty. Bush's visit next week is meant to bolster the fledgling peace process.
The Palestinians hope to build an independent state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem - areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war.
Olmert has signaled readiness to withdraw from a large chunk of the West Bank and part of east Jerusalem - prompting harsh criticism from within his ruling coalition. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005.
In a published interview Tuesday, Olmert said Israelis must understand that even their country's closest international allies want Israel to pull back in the West Bank and share Jerusalem.
"The world that is friendly to Israel ... speaks of Israel in terms of the '67 borders. It speaks of the division of Jerusalem," Olmert told The Jerusalem Post, an English-language daily.
"This marks a sea change in Israeli policy," says CBS News' Berger. "Since the 1967 war, Israeli leaders have said that Jerusalem would remain the undivided capital of Israel forever. But those days are over."
But Olmert said Israel would be able to hold on to some areas in the West Bank in any peace deal, with U.S. approval.
Although Israel has promised to halt building in its West Bank settlements, Olmert said that didn't apply to all settlements. He called Maaleh Adumim, a large settlement outside Jerusalem, an "indivisible part of Jerusalem and the state of Israel."
Palestinians reject any settlement construction, saying it compromises peace negotiations. They also want Israel to halt all construction in east Jerusalem.
Among the other sticking points for a final deal is Abbas' lack of control in Gaza. Hamas is committed to Israel's destruction and opposes the peace process.
In a Fatah anniversary speech Monday that lasted almost an hour and a half, Abbas offered to talk to Hamas.
"There is no way for any party here to be an alternative to the other, and there is no room for terms like coup or military takeover, but only for dialogue, dialogue, dialogue," he said.
Abbas called for "a new page, writing in its lines a credible agreement based on partnership, on life, on our homeland and our struggle to liberate it."
Abbas maintained his position that Hamas must restore power in Gaza to an elected government. But he urged reconciliation and called for new elections.
Zahar said Abbas' speech was "full of incitement that paved the road for some to carry out last night's massacre."
Hamas won January 2006 parliamentary elections and has rejected calls for another vote.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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See all 66 CommentsThis sentence turns the truth on its head. Fatah overthew the elected government of Hamas with the help of the US and Israel.
That is the truth.
The fact that CBS and AP don''t speak the truth about something so well known does not bode well for their truthfulness on other matters where the truth is hadder to get at.
Regarding the morality of this practice -
CBS management and staff who collaborate in this deceit and stand silent to let it continue may very well be damned.
"Thou shalt not give false witness" is a well documented commandment.
Do not forget that Hamas, organized trained and payed for by Iran, ordered Fatah to disarm completely. This started the civil war in the Gaza strip, better known today as Hamastan. And do not forget Hamas executing dozens of unarmed pro Fatah civilians in the streets, even after they had surrendered the fight.
It was after this event that the US and Israel started to help Fatah.
As noted in this article Hamas continues it''s rule with an iron fist and lack of humanity, killing anyone, even unarmed protesters, in cold cold blood.
Paint Hamas the deep red color of terror.
Till now I thought that the REAL CBS wouldn''t seep
down into it''s web pages.
The REAL CBS had Bob Sheiffer,one of the hosts for
one of the presidential debates between Bush and Kerry asked of Bush a question that helped ol'' George greatly: "Mister Bush, how does religion play into your run for the presidency?"
From that moment on I "knew" the PUBLIC CBS.
I hope it stays away from the GOOD CBS.
IT ONLY MATTERS TO THE DUEL PASSPORT HOLDING ISRAELI NEOCONS THAT WANT TO KEEP AMERICA MIRED IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR EVER...AND KEEP THE MONEY FLOWING!
AMERICA MAKE CHANGES OR SHUT UP!
And where are their brothers and sisters in Egypt with aid and civil order? Too much trouble for this recipient of vast amounts of US aid to lift a finger?
IT ONLY MATTERS TO THE DUEL PASSPORT HOLDING ISRAELI NEOCONS THAT WANT TO KEEP AMERICA MIRED IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR EVER...AND KEEP THE MONEY FLOWING!
AMERICA MAKE CHANGES OR SHUT UP!
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Posted by bluestardad at 12:28 PM : Jan 01, 2008
Love your usage of CAPS. It really makes one get the message !
Did you also mention that billions (USA) are spent to defend Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states rich with OIL with our money, not to mention our soldiers unlike Israeli soldiers defending Isreal versus American soldiers who defended Kuwait etc. in Gulf war 1 and 2. It was the USA who had to hold back Israel from defending herself in 1991.
Hmm, how convenient of you omiting that in your CAPs.
The facts: In order to evict the Ottoman Empire from arab lands, the arabs were promised control over all their lands if they helped fight the Ottomans with the arab armies.
But secretly, France and Britain and the Ottoman''s neighbour, the Soviet Union, decided to split the northern portion of those lands (now Syria and Lebanon) to France, and all land south, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq to the British. This was the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
The final treachery came with the Balfour Doctrine giving a tiny portion of Palestine to European Jews.
Now, France, who wanted control over muslim land, got exactly what it deserves: 5 1/2 million muslims immigrants, many from the birthplace of terrorism, Algeria.
And, Little Britain, deflated from losing "empire", got the same: 4 1/2 million muslims mostly from Pakistan, the home of Sheikh Ben Laden and Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri, and birthplace of the Taliban.
Let''s watch impassively the results of this treachery.
Each year s*adism kills millions of people. But there is hope! Yes, here at the International S*adism Foundation (ISF) were are close to a break through to stop this killer that has mutated to not distinguish between old and young, rich or poor, or any race religion. It can cause death and injury to even the most praised and honored, sacrade and loved, and your precious small children. Even pets and animals are not immune. Once just a mass killer of bugs and insects, it has spead and evolved into our worlds greatest threat. We need your help. Donate your tax-deductible gift to The International S*adism Foundation today and help fight the war on s*adism.
"Once the revisionist Zionists find this section, they will take over, and continue their vain attempts to rewrite history, citing some ancient "book" giving them diving authority to usurp other people''''s lands for their gods."
revisionist Zionists ?
you casually forget to mention what that "book " the New Testament also said that caused milllions to die and how about that book" The Koran" which I could fill this page for 100 days worth of vile garbage.
rewrite history ?
you better sell your property bcause someone in the past once owned Your property and you don''t want to be a hypocrite..do you ?
You just love cutting and pasting ?
You forgot that the Zionists also know where you are and are out to get you ! You see that thing blinking on the upper part of your screen @
How many times have you made an arse of yourself in 2007 ?
Do you bathe yourself in their blood and pretend its the blood of the babies you murdered?
You are a psychopath and equivalent to a rabid dog."--Posted by tuckerndfw
********** is a retired pig who thinks it''s acceptable for cops to murder defenseless women as long as they are Jewish. He even makes fun of the name of the dead.
In short--a cockroach in serious need of a can of Raid.
An excellent, dead-on comment from "CBS_Oliver" began the discussion here, and I think that it is worthy of repetition:
###
"Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in a Palestinian civil war in June,...."
This sentence turns the truth on its head. Fatah overthew the elected government of Hamas with the help of the US and Israel.
That is the truth.
The fact that CBS and AP don''''t speak the truth about something so well known does not bode well for their truthfulness on other matters where the truth is hadder to get at.
Regarding the morality of this practice -
CBS management and staff who collaborate in this deceit and stand silent to let it continue may very well be damned.
"Thou shalt not give false witness" is a well documented commandment.
Posted by CBS_Oliver
###
As you were.
ilikecats1,
Re: re: "The fact that CBS and AP don''t speak the truth about something so well known does not bode well for their truthfulness on other matters where the truth is hadder to get at."
Posted by FeelFree1
----------------------
"Another lie based on circular reasoning presented as fact. Nice move, slickster"
These are not my words, but this is an easily verifiable, and particularly key, fact.
I was simply agreeing with, and offering support for, these wise words from our esteemed guest, "CBS_Oliver".
tuckerndfw,
Re: "ilikecats1...Are you intellectually impaired or do you just post mindless comments to amuse yourself?
It looks like a mixed bag.
###
Happy New Year to you!
ilikecats1,
Re: "The sad part is you do not know what Zionist means."
What does this term mean to you?
I am interested.
Re: "Not only does the IDF murder babies, the IDF almost daily murders unarmed men, women and children (teenagers)."
There are several very good examples of this, in a shocking and sad documentary of last summer''s Israeli onslaught against Lebanon, entitled "The Fog of War":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOpB1x5Qzyg
The Israelis have truly become their own worst oppressors.
ilikecats1,
Re: "I am aware of no definition of Zionism that espouses the killing of babies. The perverted writings that contain this verbal terrorism have been debunked and denounced by anyone worth the air they breath."
Are you referring to the "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"? If so, aren''t you contradicting yourself here? Don''t the these "protocol" abckers partly define zionists as people who perform strange and horrific rituals on babies?
I think the term "baby-killer" in the context of this thread, has more to do with the regular killing of Arab babies, that has become so routine a task for the Israeli "Defense" Forces- not the bizarre claims of some book.
I am more interested in your own definition of the term "Zionist", though. I really am.
tuckerndfw,
Re: "I have no further sympathy to offer Israelis. I wouldn''t p*ss on one if he was on fire."
I think that you probably realize that we overwhelmingly agree on this topic, but I can''t paint with such a broad brush. There are many Israelis who are working hard for social justice, and who are trying to bring their leaders under control, just as many are doing in the U.S.
I think that they deserve praise and support.
http://adalah.org/eng/index.php
tuckerndfw,
Re: "Every Zionist church in the US should be required to prominently display pictures of the victims of their violently extremist ideology."
Not a bad idea.
That sounds reasonable, wouldn''t you say, "ilikecats1"?
tuckerndfw,
Re: "That story about Israel deciding it didn''''t want to make peace just really set me off."
Yeah, that was a real shocker;-)
Take care.
Do you have Orgasims when you write about the "Zionists/Terrorists ?
Can I lob a few rockets into your house and then shout out that you are a terorist ?
Get a life and ask your mommy if you can get out for some fresh air
Tuckerndfw
right ? and I used to get e-mails from the Pope,John Glen,Glen Campbell, Jimmy Carter, and Jim from Tulsa.
I also wrote to Rachel Corrie and sent her the instruction manual to a Caterpillar and told her to look at page 46. It stated to not lay in front of the bulldozer as the driver would not see you. I guess she only got to page 26.
one less moron in the gene pool I guess
Lying to infidels isn''t a sin, it''s a virtue. Al-Taqqiyeh is the motivation behind the postings in this string from Moslems such as bluestardad, FeelFree1 and tuckerndfw.
tuckerndfw asked why Israelis wanted control of Jerusalem.
That''s easy to answer.
When Moslems were in control of Jerusalem from 1948 to 1967, Jews were not allowed access to the Temple Mount and the Wailing Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.
What did Moslems do at the base of the Wailing Wall during the 19 years that they were in sole control of it?
Every morning without fail, they waited in line in their hundreds to defecate there just like the pigs and dogs they despise.
Why did they do this?
I can only assume they were making an offering to their god, @ll@h the Coprophiliac, his illustrious prophet, Moh@mmed the Child Molester, and his 7-years-old child bride.
Almost every year, without fail, just before Passover, a young Christian boy would be found murdered somewhere in Europe, with the blood completely drained from his body.
Local Jews would then be accused of using his blood as an ingredient in the unleavened bread (matzos) for their Passover rituals. This was followed shortly after by Christian "justice" from the local lynch mobs, with the encouragement of "Christian" priests.
If you visit Lincoln Cathedral in England, which featured prominently in the da Vinci Code movie, you will find a shrine to SAINT Hugh of Lincoln, who was allegedly martyred in this way.
Soon after, another boy was similarly murdered in another English city, York. The latter incident led to the expulsion of Jews from England for almost 500 years.
Even today, on Jordanian television, an Arab "expert" on Judaism, regularly describes the equipment "still used by Jews for draining the blood from Moslem boys", a metal cylinder with holes corresponding to the positions of the body''s major arteries. The sacrificial boy is allegedly placed inside the cylinder and the blood is withdrawn through needles inserted into the holes. A perfect example of the doctrine of Al-Taqqiyeh again.
tuckerndfw, tell me more about this Fantasy World you inhabit, this Parallel Universe where fact and fiction are interchangable.
"Israelis used terrorism starting in the late 19th century"
Israel didn''t exist until the mid-20th century.
He also said:
"If we still had a King David Hotel ..."
We still do.
FloydZepp is another lying Moslem operating under the Islamic doctrine of Al-Taqqiyeh, in which lying to non-Moslem infidels is not only permitted and encouraged, but also classed as a virtuous, holy act.
No, you lying Moslem. Earlier you referred to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fictional product of the late 19th century Czarist Russian Secret Police as your reference for Jewish child-killing rituals.
Once again, I''m going to ask you to tell me more about this strange Fantasy World you inhabit, this Parallel Universe, similar to the one we inhabit here on Earth, but where fact and fiction are indistinguishable.
Better yet, treat yourself to a brain transplant.
Why don''t lying Islamonazis like yourself ever mention the 2-year Arab terrorist revolt in the late 1930s which was intended to drive Brits and Jews out of Palestine.
After the revolt was put down, with difficulty, by the Brits, the leader of the revolt, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, fled in ignominy and humiliation to Berlin, where he remained as Hitler''s guest for the entire duration of World War II. Why did he do this? Because he believed Germany would do the job that he had failed to do and "liberate" Palestine.
As Rommel''s Afrika Korps advanced eastwards across North Africa towards the Middle East, the Grand Mufti collaborated with Adolf Eichmann in designing and choosing the sites for Auschwitz-style Jew extermination camps throughout Palestine and the rest of the Middle East.
If the Brits hadn''t sent Rommel into a tire-screeching U-turn at El Alemein in Egypt, the Palestinians would have been avid, willing and enthusiastic collaborators in Hitler''s Final Solution to the Jewish Problem.
PALESTINIANS were NAZIS without swastikas then.
PAlESTINIANS are NAZIS without swastikas now.
No, you didn''t refer to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion.
It was FeelFree1, another lying IslamoNazi.
You Arabs all look alike to me :-)
More bull-pschitt from your Parallel Universe.
How can weak, limp-wristed, c@cks@cking Gentiles like you ever hope to influence U.S. policy when you are only capable of writing fiction?
This is for your nurse:
Don''t ever let tuckerndfw out of his strait-jacket again!
Posted by tuckerndfw at 07:41 AM : Jan 02, 2008
What da fluck? sir you''re an idiot!!!
Adolf Hitler is Israel''''s founding father.
Posted by tuckerndfw
Please return to the Hitler youth rally--they are handing out the antipsychotic medicine--it seems like your Haldol levels are too low--they have your double dose ready
Posted by tuckerndfw total IDIOT!! go and live amongst Mulims, and bow down to Allah....
The facts: In order to evict the Ottoman Empire from arab lands, the arabs were promised control over all their lands if they helped fight the Ottomans with the arab armies.
But secretly, France and Britain and the Ottoman''''s neighbour, Soviet Union, decided to split the northern portion of those lands, Syria and Lebanon to France, and all land south, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq to the British. This was the Sykes-Picot Agreement.
The final treachery came with the Balfour Declaration giving a tiny portion of Palestine to European Jews.
Now, France, who wanted control over muslim land, got exactly what it deserves: 5 1/2 million muslims immigrants, many from the birthplace of terrorism, Algeria.
And, Little Britain, deflated from losing "empire", got the same: 4 1/2 million muslims mostly from Pakistan, the home of Sheikh Ben Laden and Dr. Ayman Al Zawahiri, and birthplace of the Taliban.
Posted by Vet1971
Sounds like propaganda from a white supremacy website.
Posted by ilikecats1 at 06:46 PM : Jan 01,
It is NOT propaganda. Check the Sykes-Picot Agreement on the Internet, as well as the Balfour Declaration. It is public knowledge. Only a shylock would make a foolish attempt to keep them under the rug.
tuckerdfw
Greek Orthodox Church would disagree with you on the one as they are older than the Catholic Church, and the seat of the part of the Roman Empire which lasted the longest.
Says tuckerndfw
You are a complete !diot.
Posted by superchez1
Correction--he is NOT a complete idiot. Ignorant, fascistic, antisemetic and psychotic--yes. It reminds you why during the 2nd world war, the US remained ''neutral'' for such a long time--there are still many people in the US who long for the ''final solution to the jewish problem''
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