Israel Walks Fine Line on Palestinian Civil War

The reason that the West continues to try and make deals with Fatah goes back to a deep seated desire to bring peace to the Middle East at any costs. The diplomats think that if you back a group that they think is moderate and says the right things, that you could eventually get them to make peace with Israel.

Some of this desire is based in politicians believing that if they can bring peace to the region, that they would secure a lasting legacy that trumps anything else they did in their time in office. President Clinton attempted just that in 2000 at Camp David where Arafat rebuked an extremely generous Israeli offer providing nearly everything that the Palestinians had asked for over the years. Arafat refused because Israel didn't bend over backwards enough and didn't even provide a counteroffer.

But Fatah at least gives the veneer of diplomatic activities. They'll at least talk about deals even if they never actually adhere to them. Hamas doesn't even bother with diplomatic deals and has repeatedly stated that it would not abide by any deals made between the Palestinians and Israelis.

Well, things have changed significantly. Hamas now vies for power with Fatah and actually dominates in Gaza. Fatah's power is significantly weaker, despite propping up by the West.

The fatal flaw in that view is that the two groups that currently dominate the Palestinians, Hamas and Fatah are both calling for Israel's destruction. Fatah, which was and always has been part of the PLO, makes it an essential part of its goals to destroy Israel. Hamas is no different.

The difference in how that goal is reached is the key. Fatah has no problem killing Israel with thousands of paper cuts over a span of decades. Hamas can't and wont wait. Hamas will not bend to diplomatic maneuvering. They want to destroy Israel and aren't afraid to come out and say it.

That's why diplomats think that Fatah is moderate and can be dealt with despite the fact that they have not lived up to any of the obligations under Oslo or any other agreement. They have not curbed terrorism or clamped down on other militia groups. They've spawned their own splinter terror groups that conduct actual attacks against Israel.

And yet, Israeli and US diplomats think Fatah is preferable to Hamas. They think that Hamas in control over Gaza is a bad idea. They're correct in knowing that Hamas is the bad alternative, but think that the only viable alternative is to go with Fatah.

There are some in Israel who have finally realized that the situation is intolerable and that Fatah is no better than Hamas. Avigor Lieberman thinks that Israel should stay out of the infighting between Hamas and Fatah - to avoid taking sides - but Hamas needs to be dismantled. If Israel doesn't take that step, then the Israeli government needs to be changed. He thinks Israel should take over the Philadephi route between Gaza and Egypt to deter smuggling arms and personnel into Gaza from Egypt until an international peacekeeping force can be brought into the situation.

Peretz said that according to his information, the Gaza infighting has left 73 dead so far. Most of the casualties were Fatah members.

"Hamas is proving its clear upper-hand in this conflict," he said, "killing innocents, taking the law into their own hands, the embodiment of anarchy - there is no rule of law."

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has made efforts to lead to calm, with little success. "This demonstrates the weakness of Hamas and Fatah's leadership," Peretz said, adding that Israel wanted to stay out of the Palestinian internal conflict.

Haniyeh has no reason to stop the violence as they have the upper hand. If they do call for a hudna, they'll be doing so to consolidate their gains, not because they think that they owe anyone a duty to stop the violence.

Adding to the mix, Islamic Jihad says that they've got a bunch of female suicide bombers ready to attack Israel if it goes into Gaza. Newsflash - these terrorist groups always manage to find people willing to blow themselves up and will use them regardless of what Israel does.

Israel has declared a state of emergency in the region around Gaza. Too little too late given the way the rockets have been falling there for months.

UPDATE:
Israeli airstrikes continue to pound Hamas positions and thugs as they scurry about in Gaza as word of yet another truce comes forth:

Israeli warplanes sent missiles slamming into a car carrying Hamas militants early Sunday, then demolished arms factories belonging to two Palestinian Arab groups, the army said, in a widening of reprisals against Gaza rocket squads.

In Jerusalem, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert threatened tougher action if the intensified rocket fire on Israeli border communities didn't cease.

The sixth straight day of airstrikes came as an uneasy truce between warring Palestinian factions set in. Masked Hamas and Fatah gunmen who had controlled the streets and taken over apartment buildings in the previous week scaled back their presence sharply, and residents who had holed up at home seeking refuge from the gunbattles ventured out to stock up on supplies at busy shops.

Children went back to school in time for final exams, and adults returned to work.

Four previous truces last week quickly collapsed, but Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said he expected the cease-fire deal reached Saturday to stick because of Israel's military action.

"No one would accept to fight one another while the Israelis are shelling Gaza," he said.

Barhoum has a point. Why should Palestinian terrorists kill each other when they could focus on killing Israelis. Hamas hasn't stopped firing rockets, and we should think that Israel shouldn't return fire?

UPDATE:
The Israeli cabinet has given the green light to go after Hamas leadership for their ongoing support for rocket attacks against Israel. Rockets hit Sderot yet again today, including one that destroyed a restaurant.

Israeli airstrikes continue, and the home of a Hamas official was hit, killing eight (5 gunmen) and wounded 13. The official was not present.

It's curiously entertaining to watch some folks say that the Arabs should send a peacekeeping force to Gaza in order to prevent Israel reoccupying Gaza. Lest they forget, the quickest and easiest way to prevent Israel from taking that drastic step that they'd rather avoid doing, Hamas and Fatah must lay down their weapons and stop firing rockets into Israel along with planning yet more terror attacks.

Arab peacekeepers wouldn't disarm Hamas any more than UNIFIL has disarmed Hizbullah in Lebanon despite the fact that UNIFIL operates under UN SCR 1701 which calls for disarmament of all militias. Bringing peacekeepers into the territories would also cement Hamas gains.

The Israeli government has gotten around to creating a blog to help get the message out about the dire situation in Sderot. We've already got blogs who are doing that - including many of those I regularly link to. Blogging about the situation is one thing, the Israeli government taking action to stop the rocket fire is something else, and on that front the government is doing quite poorly.

UPDATE:
Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, Is It Just Me?, The Virtuous Republic, Big Dog's Weblog, Leaning Straight Up, The Amboy Times, Pursuing Holiness, third world county, Right Celebrity, Woman Honor Thyself, Wake Up America, Stageleft, , stikNstein... has no mercy, Pirate's Cove, Nuke's news and views, The Pink Flamingo, Dumb Ox Daily News, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, The Random Yak, DeMediacratic Nation, Adam's Blog, Webloggin, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao's Blog, Phastidio.net, Colloquium, , Jo's Cafe, Conservative Cat, The Crazy Rants of Samantha Burns, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Blue Star Chronicles, High Desert Wanderer, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.