Some further information on the resignation of the Pali Interior Minister that was referenced in Knitting’s early news summary:
Palestinian Unity Government Anything But
The unity government formed in March by the Palestinian Authority appears on the verge of collapse. The Interior Minister abruptly resigned today from the position which had been the hardest to fill during the negotiations between Hamas and Fatah, while internecine fighting raged anew in Gaza:
The Palestinian interior minister, Hani al-Qawasmi, has resigned, causing a crisis in the fragile two-month-old unity government, after the biggest surge in factional fighting in months revived fears of civil war.
Two Palestinian gunmen were killed in Gaza in clashes between the rival Hamas and Fatah groups hours before a government official announced that Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh had accepted the resignation.
As interior minister, Mr Qawasmi was to have overseen Palestinian security services but officials said the former academic faced competition from powerful Fatah rivals for control of the armed contingents.
The resignation cast new doubt on whether the power-sharing partnership between Islamist Hamas and secular Fatah could continue.
Egypt had brokered a truce between Hamas and Fatah, but it had little effect on Gaza. Despite an agreement that both sides would withdraw their gunment from the streets, the militias started closing streets this morning as a civil war appeared imminent. Checkpoints went up and Palestinians started trying to find ways to avoid getting entangled in them.
Forming unity governments might seem like a great idea, but a society has to have some kind of unity on which to base it. The Palestinians right now do not have even a protostate but a massive amount of gang turf. Hamas and Fatah have operated as the terrorist groups they are rather than as true political parties. Neither have interest in actual politics but in power grabs, which has been all too apparent in the failure of both groups to actually govern in any sense of the word.
Until the Palestinians decide that they have had enough of terrorism directed both within and without, they will continue to suffer under warlord rule. The PA has proven a failure as an instrument towards this goal, and the Palestinians in two elections have proven themselves unsuited for statehood. The best possible solution would be for the territories to revert to Jordan and Egypt, but both nations are wise enough to reject that notion. Failing that, they should be sealed off until they finish their civil war or weary enough of the violence that the Palestinians finally produce responsible leadership.
Link: http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/009965.php
The unity government formed in March by the Palestinian Authority appears on the verge of collapse.
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Yep,,,Been Doin’ That For Years...
UPDATE: Via Allahpundit, he must be a rather active coma patient:
Libya’s leader Moammar Gadhafi has denied a Palestinian news wire report that he is fatally ill, Italy’s ANSA news agency said Monday.
Gadhafi called Monday to Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi saying he was in good health, the agency reported.
Link: http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/archives/009963.php