Triangle Offense Gives Way To Normal Two-Faced Posturing
The Palestinians have used a triangle offense for years now, throughout the post-Oslo era, when it comes to supposed cease-fires. Whenever the Palestinians want to set Israel up as the fall guy for their terrorism, Hamas and Fatah usually propose a cease-fire while Islamic Jihad continues attacking Israel. When Israel finally responds to that provocation, Hamas and Fatah declare that Israel has violated the cease-fire and continue the attacks.
The new Hamas-led Palestinian Authority has apparently tired of the ruse. This time, they have attacked Israel themselves while claiming to still support the cease-fire:
The first public signs of division within the Hamas movement emerged yesterday when the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamist movement fired rockets from Gaza into Israel and announced the end of a ceasefire.A spokesman for the Hamas-dominated government, however, said it wanted the ceasefire with Israel, which has lasted six months, to continue. Several mortars and crude rockets were fired early yesterday from the Gaza strip as Israelis celebrated their 59th Independence Day. Nobody was injured, but for the first time since the November ceasefire, Hamas claimed responsibility. Dozens of homemade Qassam rockets have been fired out of Gaza in recent months, but by other militant groups.
Abu Obeida, a recognised spokesman for the armed wing of Hamas, the Izzedin al-Qassam Brigades, told a Palestinian radio station that this marked the end of the ceasefire between Israel and the armed groups in Gaza. "The ceasefire has been over for a long time, and Israel is responsible for that," he said. "This is a message to the Zionist enemy that our strikes will continue. We are ready to kidnap more and kill more of your soldiers," he said.
Of course Hamas still wants the cease-fire to continue. As far as they are concerned, it only applies to Israel and it allows Hamas to take free shots at Israelis without fear of military reprisal. It has become so transparent that this time they haven't even bothered to farm the job out to Islamic Jihad terrorists.
The alternative is actually worse. If Hamas can't control its own militants, then they have ceased even the pretense of governing. A state worthy of that status has to have monopolized military power in its own hands. Renegades cannot launch rockets into neighboring countries without the government having to take responsibility for the attacks -- and suffering the consequences. If Hamas cannot control its own people, they have no chance at all of governing the rest of the Palestinians.
One measure of their lack of control can be found in the case of Gilad Shalit. Hamas and Fatah have promised Egypt and the Israelis that they would get Shalit released in order to build trust in the peace process. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have insisted on it, and Israel had prepared to release hundreds of Palestinians from prisons in exchange. Now, however, it turns out that neither Hamas nor Fatah can gain custody of Shalit, who is being held by a crime family in Gaza. Similarly, gangsters also kidnapped a BBC reporter, which no one can find or free.
Either Hamas has decided to play both sides against the middle, or it is even more incompetent at governing than Fatah -- a small surprise, considering the terrorist nature of both factions. The truth is probably both: Hamas is both incompetent and deceitful ... which again comes as little shock, given their nature and their aims.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on April 25, 2007 4:57 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (1)
Comments (1)
Posted by NoDonkey![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| April 25, 2007 7:23 AM
What more can the Palestinians do, spell out "Carpet Bomb Us" on their rooftops?
Geez, just get it over with. They wanna be martyrs? Do it. Send all of these miserable, worthless people to Allah.