The Gaza Crackdown

The Palestinian civil war continues to burn slowly just below the surface. Yesterday's riot and running gunfights between Fatah and Hamas as Fatah honored arch-terrorist Yasir Arafat was followed by Hamas cracking down in Gaza. More than 400 have been detained.

The detainees included dozens of the rally's organizers, Fatah spokesman Hazem Abu Shanab said. Hamas officials were not immediately available for comment.

Monday's rally, a memorial service for the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, drew 250,000 people, making it Fatah's biggest show of force in Gaza since Hamas took control of the coastal territory in June. It ended in the worst violence Gaza has seen since the Hamas takeover, with seven civilians killed and 85 wounded as Hamas men opened fire on protesters.

Gaza City was quiet and tense Tuesday morning, with few Hamas policemen on the streets. Schools were closed in mourning, and most of the stores in downtown Gaza were shuttered.

This is the pregnant pause before the next round of violence between Fatah and Hamas.

Abbas, meanwhile, continues to tell the diplomats exactly what they want to hear - that everyone can live in peace. Never mind that Abbas doesn't speak for all Palestinians, let alone all the territory given to the Palestinians thus far under Oslo and the unilateral disengagements by the Israelis. Abbas knows that the Israelis and the West will love to hear this, but the diplomats also ignore the fact that the Palestinians repeatedly state that they do not accept a two-state solution and demand a right of return that would essentially destroy the Jewish character of the state of Israel.

Fatah's Dahlan, who was in charge of Gaza when they lost to Hamas, says that yesterday's violence is a sign that Hamas is losing its grip there. I think Dahlan isn't reading from the same tea leaves as everyone else. Hamas is able to do whatever it wants in Gaza, and Fatah can't do much to stop them. Fatah didn't stop Hamas from arresting and detaining 400 of Fatah's thugs.

Hamas, meanwhile, claims that it's working on yet another deal that would release Gilad Shalit. Here's a neat trick. Hamas should simply release Shalit. They wont, of course, because they need serious concessions including prisoner releases to make it worthwhile. Shalit's capture was to extort concessions from Israel, and thus far Israel has not waivered on point. I'm hoping that they continue to hold the line, although their continued prisoner releases of Fatah thugs concerns me greatly. Concessions to terrorist groups does not instill confidence.