Posted on 07/17/2014 12:03:51 PM PDT by Star Traveler
IDF fears that, without Hamas, Gaza could descend into a Somalia-like situation, in which dozens of gangs or clans would take over various parts of the strip.
The next 48 hours in the Gaza Strip will likely bring more of the same: Israeli air strikes, murmurs about a limited Israel Defense Forces ground operation and continued rocket fire from the Strip to central and southern Israel. But there is also a slim chance of reaching a cease–fire agreement.
Contacts aimed at achieving this are ongoing on two different fronts: one Egyptian, and the other Qatari-Turkish. The Palestinian Authority is maneuvering on both channels. The United States, surprisingly, in light of Israel’s wishes, seems to be flirting with getting involved on the second front. This makes the Qatari-Turkish option more attractive to Hamas, as not only does it turn a cold shoulder to Egypt which recently tried to force an agreement on the organization, but it also creates a roundabout channel to the Americans.
In the meantime, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas visited Cairo. Egypt and the PA are discussing sending 300 Palestinian security personnel to the Rafah border crossing. Opening the crossing is Hamas’ most important demand, but Cairo is setting a high price: Restoring the PA presence in the Gaza Strip for the first time in seven years.
(Excerpt) Read more at haaretz.com ...
I sometimes wonder if an anarchic gaza Strip wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Second only to their hate for Israel, Hamas and other Islamist groups crave power and money.
If they were to engage in a civil war of sorts, it seems to me as though that’d clean out some of the deadwood (so to speak) in Gaza.
It may yet be some time before one group seizes control of the situation.
And Israel could materially play one against the other and shift aid to whomever is at a disadvantage.
Terrorists really thrive in anarchic situations.
How can Israel play Muslims against each other, especially when said Muslims have the same goal?
Ground invasion, per Jerusalem post:
Engage in some false-flag attacks. Send Mossad operatives to a meeting of some Hamas operatives and blow them away... then leave "evidence" the assassins were sunnis from ISIS.
Egyptians Hoping Israel Will Destroy Hamas
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3181177/posts
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi has thus far turned down appeals from Palestinians and other Arabs to work toward achieving a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Palestinian Authority [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas telephoned Sisi and urged him to intervene to achieve an “immediate ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas. Abbas later admitted that his appeal to Sisi and (other Arab leaders) had fallen on deaf ears.
Sisi’s decision not to intervene in the current crisis did not come as a surprise. In fact, Sisi and many Egyptians seem to be delighted that Hamas is being badly hurt.
Some Egyptians are even openly expressing hope that Israel will completely destroy Hamas, which they regard as the “armed branch of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization.”
Sisi’s Egypt has not forgiven Hamas for its alliance with Muslim Brotherhood and its involvement in terrorist attacks against Egyptian civilians and soldiers over the past year.
The Egyptians today understand that Hamas and other radical Islamist groups pose a serious threat to their national security. That is why the Egyptian authorities have, over the past year, been taking tough security measures not only against Hamas, but also the entire population of the Gaza Strip.
Arab World Increasingly Frustrated With Hamas
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3181606/posts
While Israel’s response to incessant rocket fire from Gaza drew the requisite condemnations from the Arab world and some in the international community, Arab media is increasingly open in criticizing Hamas for instigating the violence.
Media in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Egypt blame Hamas’ actions for inviting Israeli counter attacks and prioritizing conflict over the safety of the Gazan population and criticized the leadership for waging war far from the conflict, a Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) report shows.
After Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal criticized Egyptian inaction in Gaza, Egyptian columnists responded emphatically.
“[Meshaal], we are tired of defending the [Palestinian] cause that you have sold for cheap to an MB (Muslim Brotherhood) gang whose way you followed even though they have lost their [own] way,” wrote columnist Hamdi Razaq. He also called Meshaal out for living in luxurious Qatari hotels instead of fighting in Gaza.
Hamas is losing its legitimacy because it was sacrificing Palestinians while using financial aid to promote its interests, wrote Al-Gumhouriyya columnist Nagla Al-Sayyid.
“All the Hamas leaders are doing – as they sit securely in their hiding places while leaving the people of Gaza alone under the fire of the Israeli shelling – is collecting donations in order to use them in the service of their ideas and the political [faction to which] they belong, while allowing the real enemy, the oppressive Zionist enemy, to fight innocents,” Al-Sayyid wrote, adding that Hamas has shown itself to be “an imbecilic and failed movement.”
I do read the rest of the board.
I don’t even catch all the articles on Free Republic, so if you never miss one, I find that amazing ... :-) ...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.