AO Special Coverage - Palestinian Civil War
AO Special Coverage - Palestinian Civil War
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Palestinian Civil War
Some Call It A Coup
PA Gov't Dissolved
Hamas vs. Fatah
Situation Grave
CNN Warns:
Mideast Could Erupt In Flames
Part of a Proxy War Between US-Israel vs Iran-Syria
Debka Analysis at Bottom of Page
The situation in the Mideast is growing more perilous by the day. The TV News channels, like CNN have suddenly begun giving wide coverage on the newly erupting civil war taking place within the Palestinian movement.
The American news media is finally noting that the Palestinian Hamas party has becoming proxy partner with Iran, while the US has supported Fatah. The situation is part of a greater struggle between Iran plus Syria and the United States plus Israel.
The situation in Gaza is becoming a grave threat to the future of Israel. For that reason, Prophecy watchers should be monitoring the situation. Should Hamas win, Iran will have a proxy army on Israel's southern flank as well as on its northern flank where Hezbollah prepares for a resumption of last years war with Israel.
It would appear that Iran is behind the Hamas attempt to seize power by brute force. Iran will be able to use Hamas just as it is using Hezbollah in the north to attack Israel.
Below, you will find a roundup of news reports and analysis of the situation.
================================
Hamas Takes Fatah HQ
Three of the PA's most important symbols in the Gaza Strip fell into the hands of Hamas on Thursday after hundreds of PA security officers surrendered or fled to the West Bank. The southern town of Rafah also fell into the hands of Hamas.
The latest Hamas victories in the Gaza Strip shocked many Fatah leaders here. "This is a real coup against the Palestinian Authority," said Nabil Amr, a top advisor to Abbas.
The fighting between Hamas and Fatah intensified to critical mass yesterday and carried over today in Gaza. Hamas has virtually eliminated Fatah from the entire Gaza strip, save for one last stronghold in Gaza.
Hamas militiamen on Thursday night issued an ultimatum to policemen in the main headquarters of the PA security forces in Gaza City to surrender or face death. The headquarters, known as the Saraya, is located in the center of the city and houses hundreds of policemen belonging to the PA National Security Force. By 11:00 p.m. Thursday night Hamas forces had captured the stronghold. More details here.
=========================================
Fatah Official Says...
Gaza Has Fallen To Hamas
Two years after Israel's unilateral retreat from the Gaza Strip, the territory today fell into the near complete control of the Hamas terror group, which now administers Gaza and its borders with Israel and Egypt.
A senior Palestinian Authority official from the Fatah party told WND today "Gaza has fallen. It's now Hamas land. We (Fatah) have lost."
The official said Hamas seeks to create an "Islamic caliphate" in Gaza and that it is expected to put former Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar in control of the terror group's reign in Gaza.
Israeli security officials said they were "gravely concerned" about Iran's influence over the territory Hamas now controls.
According to Israeli and Palestinian security officials and Hamas sources, Hamas today took complete control of northern and southern Gaza and most of central Gaza with the exception of the main Fatah security compound in Gaza City known as the Ansar Compound. More detalis here.
==================================
PA Gov't Dissolved
Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority president, on Thursday night dismissed his Hamas-led government and declared a state of emergency, although with little prospect of imposing it in the Gaza Strip after Hamas routed his Fatah loyalists there in the space of a week.
His decrees marked the end of a unity government the two parties formed in March after agreeing in Mecca on a programme to end their factional strife. In the latest round of violence, Hamas gunmen seized almost all the main Gaza bases of security forces that answer to Mr Abbas. More details here.
=================================
Hamas Executing Fatah Prisoners
Hamas fighters overran two of the rival Fatah movement's most important security command centers in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and witnesses said the victors dragged vanquished gunmen into the street and shot them to death execution-style. More details here.
=================================
Hamas Captures
Presidential Compound in Gaza
forces late Thursday moved into the last Fatah stronghold in Gaza City, the compound of offices of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, witnesses and Hamas officials said.
Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said there was no fighting at the site, because Fatah officers had left earlier in the evening. Hamas forces overran the main Fatah security force headquarters on Thursday, taking control of virtually all of the Gaza Strip. Abbas was in the West Bank city of Ramallah at the time. More details here.
==================================
Calls For Multi-naitonal Force In Gaza
Fatah Threatens To Fire Their Leader For Gaza Defeat
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday night issued a "presidential decree" dissolving the Hamas-led unity government and declaring a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories, PA officials here said. They added that Abbas informed representatives of the Quartet of his decision and asked for their backing.
Abbas phoned US Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice and briefed her on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, the officials added. They said Abbas was also planning to call for deploying an international force in the Gaza Strip to restore law and order. "President Abbas has decided to fire the government," said one official. "Ismail Haniyeh is no longer the prime minister and soon there will be a new government.
Abbas's decision was taken after two days of intensive discussions with Fatah leaders, who exerted heavy pressure on him to fire Haniyeh's government. Some of the Fatah leaders went as far as threatening to declare an open revolt against Abbas unless he began taking a series of measures in response to Hamas's massive offensive in the Gaza Strip. More details here.
==================================
Arabs Fear Conflict Will Spread
Arab countries are eyeing the chaos in Gaza with alarm, fearing that the Palestinian fighting could spread to the West Bank and further destabilize the region. The Arab League chief on Thursday called for a cease-fire, warning of disaster otherwise.
Arab governments have been stunned by a battle that is rapidly creating a dramatically new reality on their doorsteps: a Gaza Strip controlled by the militant group Hamas and a West Bank held by the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas.
There are fears that if the fighting spreads to the West Bank, it will further weaken Abbas and ultimately stir up trouble for Jordan, said a Jordanian government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the situation's sensitivity.
Roughly half of Jordan's 5.5 million population is Palestinian. A Gaza-style civil war in the neighboring West Bank could spark clashes between the factions' supporters in the kingdom _ particularly in refugee camps where many support Hamas, the official said. Such fighting could destabilize the Jordanian government and lead to a radical new Jordan government allied with Syria and Iran! More details on Arab fears here.
==================================
What Are Israel's Options In Gaza?
Views From Israel
Defense Minister Amir Peretz convened security chiefs for a situation assessment on Thursday afternoon, with the focus on the Hamas onslaught on Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip. Two main conclusions were reached: First, Fatah has lost in Gaza, and second, Israel will not intervene, at least for now.
From a military perspective, some defense officials actually said there was reason to be thankful for Hamas's takeover of the Strip. Before the recent round of intra-Palestinian violence, Israel had to distinguish between Fatah and Hamas gunmen in Gaza and make sure that that the former, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's loyalists, were not targeted. Now, according to this view, there is no longer any need to draw such distinctions, since all gunmen are Hamas and therefore fair game.
"The bank of targets has grown tremendously with Hamas's takeover," explained one official involved in monitoring events in Gaza and planning policy. "Hamas is a clear and defined enemy, and that means that when we decide to respond it will be easier than before, since all their buildings are now targets, as is anyone walking around with a weapon." More details here.
====================================
Dekba.com Analysis...
Hamas Poised to Convert
Captured Gaza Strip into Islamist Enclave
Senior Israeli officers described the Hamas victory to DEBKAfile as a greater misfortune for Israel than its Lebanon War setbacks. There, Hizballah was forced by Israeli military action to accept a UN ceasefire and international peacekeepers. Hamas has no such incentive. In the case of Gaza, the winner takes all and can dictate terms. A radical Islamic enclave with a dominant Iranian-Syrian military presence has sprung up unopposed as a hostile reality on Israel’s southwestern border. It has made the Israeli-Middle East Quartet’s boycott an irrelevance. Full Debka coverage here.
Thursday, 14 June 2007
Palestinian Civil War
Some Call It A Coup
PA Gov't Dissolved
Hamas vs. Fatah
Situation Grave
CNN Warns:
Mideast Could Erupt In Flames
Part of a Proxy War Between US-Israel vs Iran-Syria
Debka Analysis at Bottom of Page
The situation in the Mideast is growing more perilous by the day. The TV News channels, like CNN have suddenly begun giving wide coverage on the newly erupting civil war taking place within the Palestinian movement.
The American news media is finally noting that the Palestinian Hamas party has becoming proxy partner with Iran, while the US has supported Fatah. The situation is part of a greater struggle between Iran plus Syria and the United States plus Israel.
The situation in Gaza is becoming a grave threat to the future of Israel. For that reason, Prophecy watchers should be monitoring the situation. Should Hamas win, Iran will have a proxy army on Israel's southern flank as well as on its northern flank where Hezbollah prepares for a resumption of last years war with Israel.
It would appear that Iran is behind the Hamas attempt to seize power by brute force. Iran will be able to use Hamas just as it is using Hezbollah in the north to attack Israel.
Below, you will find a roundup of news reports and analysis of the situation.
================================
Hamas Takes Fatah HQ
Three of the PA's most important symbols in the Gaza Strip fell into the hands of Hamas on Thursday after hundreds of PA security officers surrendered or fled to the West Bank. The southern town of Rafah also fell into the hands of Hamas.
The latest Hamas victories in the Gaza Strip shocked many Fatah leaders here. "This is a real coup against the Palestinian Authority," said Nabil Amr, a top advisor to Abbas.
The fighting between Hamas and Fatah intensified to critical mass yesterday and carried over today in Gaza. Hamas has virtually eliminated Fatah from the entire Gaza strip, save for one last stronghold in Gaza.
Hamas militiamen on Thursday night issued an ultimatum to policemen in the main headquarters of the PA security forces in Gaza City to surrender or face death. The headquarters, known as the Saraya, is located in the center of the city and houses hundreds of policemen belonging to the PA National Security Force. By 11:00 p.m. Thursday night Hamas forces had captured the stronghold. More details here.
=========================================
Fatah Official Says...
Gaza Has Fallen To Hamas
Two years after Israel's unilateral retreat from the Gaza Strip, the territory today fell into the near complete control of the Hamas terror group, which now administers Gaza and its borders with Israel and Egypt.
A senior Palestinian Authority official from the Fatah party told WND today "Gaza has fallen. It's now Hamas land. We (Fatah) have lost."
The official said Hamas seeks to create an "Islamic caliphate" in Gaza and that it is expected to put former Hamas Foreign Minister Mahmoud Al-Zahar in control of the terror group's reign in Gaza.
Israeli security officials said they were "gravely concerned" about Iran's influence over the territory Hamas now controls.
According to Israeli and Palestinian security officials and Hamas sources, Hamas today took complete control of northern and southern Gaza and most of central Gaza with the exception of the main Fatah security compound in Gaza City known as the Ansar Compound. More detalis here.
==================================
PA Gov't Dissolved
Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian Authority president, on Thursday night dismissed his Hamas-led government and declared a state of emergency, although with little prospect of imposing it in the Gaza Strip after Hamas routed his Fatah loyalists there in the space of a week.
His decrees marked the end of a unity government the two parties formed in March after agreeing in Mecca on a programme to end their factional strife. In the latest round of violence, Hamas gunmen seized almost all the main Gaza bases of security forces that answer to Mr Abbas. More details here.
=================================
Hamas Executing Fatah Prisoners
Hamas fighters overran two of the rival Fatah movement's most important security command centers in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, and witnesses said the victors dragged vanquished gunmen into the street and shot them to death execution-style. More details here.
=================================
Hamas Captures
Presidential Compound in Gaza
forces late Thursday moved into the last Fatah stronghold in Gaza City, the compound of offices of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, witnesses and Hamas officials said.
Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida said there was no fighting at the site, because Fatah officers had left earlier in the evening. Hamas forces overran the main Fatah security force headquarters on Thursday, taking control of virtually all of the Gaza Strip. Abbas was in the West Bank city of Ramallah at the time. More details here.
==================================
Calls For Multi-naitonal Force In Gaza
Fatah Threatens To Fire Their Leader For Gaza Defeat
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday night issued a "presidential decree" dissolving the Hamas-led unity government and declaring a state of emergency in the Palestinian territories, PA officials here said. They added that Abbas informed representatives of the Quartet of his decision and asked for their backing.
Abbas phoned US Secretary of State Condaleezza Rice and briefed her on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip, the officials added. They said Abbas was also planning to call for deploying an international force in the Gaza Strip to restore law and order. "President Abbas has decided to fire the government," said one official. "Ismail Haniyeh is no longer the prime minister and soon there will be a new government.
Abbas's decision was taken after two days of intensive discussions with Fatah leaders, who exerted heavy pressure on him to fire Haniyeh's government. Some of the Fatah leaders went as far as threatening to declare an open revolt against Abbas unless he began taking a series of measures in response to Hamas's massive offensive in the Gaza Strip. More details here.
==================================
Arabs Fear Conflict Will Spread
Arab countries are eyeing the chaos in Gaza with alarm, fearing that the Palestinian fighting could spread to the West Bank and further destabilize the region. The Arab League chief on Thursday called for a cease-fire, warning of disaster otherwise.
Arab governments have been stunned by a battle that is rapidly creating a dramatically new reality on their doorsteps: a Gaza Strip controlled by the militant group Hamas and a West Bank held by the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas.
There are fears that if the fighting spreads to the West Bank, it will further weaken Abbas and ultimately stir up trouble for Jordan, said a Jordanian government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the situation's sensitivity.
Roughly half of Jordan's 5.5 million population is Palestinian. A Gaza-style civil war in the neighboring West Bank could spark clashes between the factions' supporters in the kingdom _ particularly in refugee camps where many support Hamas, the official said. Such fighting could destabilize the Jordanian government and lead to a radical new Jordan government allied with Syria and Iran! More details on Arab fears here.
==================================
What Are Israel's Options In Gaza?
Views From Israel
Defense Minister Amir Peretz convened security chiefs for a situation assessment on Thursday afternoon, with the focus on the Hamas onslaught on Fatah forces in the Gaza Strip. Two main conclusions were reached: First, Fatah has lost in Gaza, and second, Israel will not intervene, at least for now.
From a military perspective, some defense officials actually said there was reason to be thankful for Hamas's takeover of the Strip. Before the recent round of intra-Palestinian violence, Israel had to distinguish between Fatah and Hamas gunmen in Gaza and make sure that that the former, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's loyalists, were not targeted. Now, according to this view, there is no longer any need to draw such distinctions, since all gunmen are Hamas and therefore fair game.
"The bank of targets has grown tremendously with Hamas's takeover," explained one official involved in monitoring events in Gaza and planning policy. "Hamas is a clear and defined enemy, and that means that when we decide to respond it will be easier than before, since all their buildings are now targets, as is anyone walking around with a weapon." More details here.
====================================
Dekba.com Analysis...
Hamas Poised to Convert
Captured Gaza Strip into Islamist Enclave
Senior Israeli officers described the Hamas victory to DEBKAfile as a greater misfortune for Israel than its Lebanon War setbacks. There, Hizballah was forced by Israeli military action to accept a UN ceasefire and international peacekeepers. Hamas has no such incentive. In the case of Gaza, the winner takes all and can dictate terms. A radical Islamic enclave with a dominant Iranian-Syrian military presence has sprung up unopposed as a hostile reality on Israel’s southwestern border. It has made the Israeli-Middle East Quartet’s boycott an irrelevance. Full Debka coverage here.
posted by shummer60 at Thursday, June 14, 2007
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home