Palestine at War .. Political Party/Millitia Fatah and Hamas Battle

CNN

Coming in from CNN only a few hours ago, the Palestinian territories are apparently nearing a state of total war with one another..

As of right now there has been little Israeli military movement into or outside of regions effected by the fighting, however if Hamas gains ground it is likely Israel may step in to stop a complete coup.

As Fatah radio called on fighters to confront Hamas militants and broadcasts from Hamas fighters urged their Fatah foes to abandon their posts or face death, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas appealed in vain for a cease-fire.

The fighting has torn the government apart, already weak and lacking the centralized unity Palestine needs, the two major parties are believed to be planning a complete government split.. Fatah has declared it will remove its self from the united government as the battles continue to rage on..

Palestinian medical sources said Tuesday 10 members of the Fatah-affiliated National Guard and 11 Hamas gunmen were killed. More than 80 people have died in factional fighting since the latest flare-up began last month

Four other Palestinians died in Tuesday morning clashes in Gaza City and Khan Younis, medical sources said.

One prominant commander of the Hamas military wing was killed in the fighting as well.. as of now it is unclear who has the upper hand..

The home of Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, a Hamas member, came under attack Tuesday for the second day, the Hamas media office reported.

Earlier, Hamas gunmen killed Jamal al-Jediyan, the head of Fatah in northern Gaza, Fatah sources said. His brother and cousin also died in the attack.

Later in the morning, Hamas gunmen surrounded the home of Fatah spokesman Maher Mekdad. His fate was not immediately known.

Erakat said there are "multiple authorities" in Gaza, making it extremely difficult to control the fighters.

The fighting comes only days after the Lebanese - Palestinian clashes in Southern Lebanon, now fighting between 2 sepperate political parties, unrelated to the events in Lebanon are at war in Palestine..

While there has been limited and sporadic civil fighting between the two groups, especially after Israel and other Western nations stoped giving economic aid and tax to the Hamas lead government, nothing to date has been this severe.. it would appear the two groups are at a verge of complete war, which one would question what is about to become of the Palestinian state? And what will Israel do in response? .. And perhaps, what HAS Israel been doing, or done so far? Surly they should be prepared for rouge or directed Hamas attacks on Israeli targets if Israel shows aggression..

UPDATE:

CNN

Gun fire erupts at a peace rally in the Gaza Strip leaving one dead.

Gunfire erupts at Gaza peace rally; 1 dead

GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Palestinian gunmen Wednesday opened fire on a peaceful demonstration calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, killing one person and sending dozens of other demonstrators running for cover Wednesday, according to Gaza hospital officials and video of the scene.

The head of the Egyptian delegation to Gaza that is trying to broker a truce between Hamas and Fatah fighters was at the demonstration, but was not injured in the melee.

Video showed unarmed residents -- men, women and children -- waving Palestinian flags and chanting for an end to the violence. Heavy gunfire echoed in the streets, prompting the demonstrators to run. -- From CNN's Avivit Dalgoshen in Jerusalem (Posted 6:20 a.m.)

No comments so far?

UPDATE:

Hamas bombs, declares control over Fatah compound:

• NEW: Watchdog group says some violence in Gaza amounts to "war crimes"
• Attack on Fatah compound comes as Hamas declares control over northern Gaza
• Peace protester, relief workers among 70 killed in three days of factional fighting
• President Mahmoud Abbas may abandon unity government if "madness" goes on

Izzedine al-Qassam, which made its announcement late Tuesday over mosque loudspeakers across the region, called on residents to hand over their weapons to the militant group by 7 p.m. (noon ET) Friday.

The "closed military area" over which Hamas has asserted control includes all villages and towns north of Gaza City, including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahya and the Jabalya refugee camp.

Hamas overpowered Fatah forces, taking several of the rival group's strongholds in northern Gaza, security sources said. Hamas gunmen could be seen perched atop buildings as residents sought shelter in their homes, the sources said.

Fighting over the past three days has killed at least 70 Palestinians and injured 180 more, 20 of them critically, medical sources said. Overnight gunbattles killed six Fatah loyalists and militia members as Hamas moved to expand its grip on Gaza, Palestinian security sources said Wednesday.

How bad is it getting?

Also in recent days: Fatah and Hamas supporters have been tossed to their deaths from high-rise buildings; three family members were fatally shot -- one at close range -- while receiving treatment in a Beit Hanoun hospital; and Palestinian militants have been accused of disguising themselves as journalists to launch attacks.

..................Just blows you away eh?

It would appear that the region is decending into anarchy, as it is still unclear how much control Hamas has over its own fighters, or whether units are going rouge and commiting actions such as those listed above...

CNN

In an unrelated story to Palestine,

Lebanese lawmaker killed in Beirut blast

• Slain lawmaker identified as Walid Eido, foe of Syrian involvement in Lebanon
• Explosion described as assassination; at least nine others also killed
• Blast occurred near military sports club in Beirut seaside neighborhood

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- A member of the Lebanese parliament was killed in an explosion Wednesday outside a Beirut military sports club in what hospital sources called an assassination.

Lawmaker Walid Eido, known as a foe of Syrian involvement in Lebanon, his son, Khalid, and two of his bodyguards were killed, Lebanese media reports said.

At least six other people died and 11 were wounded in the explosion, believed to be from a car bomb, in the seaside neighborhood of Manara, according to Lebanese security sources.

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, an outspoken critic of Syria, blamed Eido's killing on Damascus, calling it an attempt to reduce the anti-Syrian majority in the Lebanese government.

"With this bunch of assassins in Damascus, they don't care about international justice," Jumblatt told CNN International.

The attack is being blamed on either Syria directly or militants that carried out an order handed by Syria, possibly Hezbollah.

Little news media coverage..

Little discussion on ATS even, not a single reply.

Israel thought they were going to play one against the other. First they didn't want to deal with the PLO (Fatah) and so they forced them to hold elections, the people voted for Hamas and Israel didn't like that either so they cut off Hamas and all of Palestine economically and politically thinking everyone would fall back on Fatah, then they started to give Fatah guns and weapons so they could start fighting between the two and that Hamas would just disappear....they haven't learned that people are catching on to their games and just like last year in Lebanon where they thought they would punish everyone for the acts of Hizbollah it just reinforced and expanded support for them. Every trick they try to pull blows up in their face. They should instead of working on ways to kill people and wreak havoc on people they percieve as enemies try to make peace and it better be soon. The **** is about to hit the fan.

I agree Pieman except for the bit that Israel gave Fatah weapons.. I dont doubt that they would, but there is no real "open" proof...

However, the # is about to hit the fan, the entire region is stiring and restless, I don't think it has been this unstable in a very long time. I am waiting to wake up and hear reports that Syria took back Lebanon and Israel attacked the Palestinians again and like last summer, the region will be at war once more..

Originally posted by Rockpuck
I agree Pieman except for the bit that Israel gave Fatah weapons.. I dont doubt that they would, but there is no real "open" proof...

So you think that America was able to just give fatah weapons without Israeli approval or permission? They were training in Egypt.

Israel, U.S. aid Fatah

Fresh Palestinian troops allowed to enter Gaza to counter Hamas


12:02 AM CDT on Friday, May 18, 2007
From Wire Reports

JERUSALEM – Israel this week allowed the Palestinian party Fatah to bring into the Gaza Strip as many as 500 fresh troops trained under a U.S.-coordinated program to counter Hamas, the Islamic movement that won Palestinian elections last year.

Fighting between Hamas and Fatah has left about 45 Palestinians dead since Sunday.

The forces belong to units loyal to elected Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate Fatah leader whom the Bush administration and Israel have sought to strengthen militarily and politically.

Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for the European Union Border Assistance Mission deployed at Rafah, said the troops' entry on Tuesday was approved by Israel.

Source

Civil War in Palestine - sponsored by;

US and Israel Stir Up Palestinian Crisis

The U.S. and Israel have led the world in forcing Fatah to resist Hamas’ democractically-won power. In a just-released document, “the United Nations’ former top Middle East envoy has sharply criticized U.S. and Israeli efforts to isolate the Hamas-led Palestinian government, saying the policy has further radicalized Palestinian opinion and undercut long-term efforts to establish a viable Palestinian state. The broadside by Alvaro de Soto was contained in a confidential 52-page report he filed before resigning from the United Nations last month. Starting in May 2005, de Soto directed U.N. efforts to ease the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” “With all the focus on the failings of Hamas,” De Soto observed, “the Israeli settlement enterprise and barrier construction has continued unabated.”

Indeed, Israel “has made no bones about backing Fatah and attacking only Hamas targets.” And the U.S. has funded and supported the Israeli efforts. “Since the election victory of Hamas in January 2006, the United States and Israel have worked to isolate and damage Hamas and build up Fatah with recognition and weaponry.” The weapons go to Fatah’s security forces, led by Dahlan. CIA operatives have long worked closely with Dahlan’s security apparatus. According to De Soto, “U.S. officials ‘clearly pushed for a confrontation’ between Hamas and Fatah. … A U.S. [diplomatic] representative, he recalled, said: ‘I like this violence . . . it means that other Palestinians are resisting Hamas.’”

In the midst of the current crisis, the Bush administration continues to take sides and stir up the conflict. “Administration officials were pushing Mr. Abbas to dissolve the power-sharing agreement between Fatah and Hamas [and] dismiss the entire government.” When Abbas did just that, “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressed support for Mr. Abbas’s decrees.” Also, “administration officials were weighing the possibility of … pressuring Egypt to seal the tunnels leading from its territory into Gaza; American and Israeli officials say the tunnels are often used to smuggle weapons to Hamas. One administration official suggested Wednesday that the United States might then try to prod Israel into taking down Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a way to shore up Mr. Abbas.”

Well it is pretty clear what is going on in Palestine these days;

A nicely staged iternal struggle - sponsored by U.S.A. and Israel.

Last year Israel learned the hard way, how it is to fight Hizb'Allah and Hamas at the same time in those long summer months. So what have they learned? That it is better to let "them" kill each other off - make "them" look like blood thirsty animals, who can not live togather and meanwhile, fortify borders and checkpoints and surround Gaza Strip and West Bank. And I must say, it is a most excellent plan - divide and rule politics seem to work all over Middle East these days.

This fight has been brewing for a long time, and needed very little in the way of help to start.

My only question is what took Hamas/Hezzbollah so long after the death of Fatahs spiritual leader Yassar Arafat to finally try to put paid to Fatah. Israel has a vested interest in helping Fatah to survive this, Fatah they can deal with in one of two ways, either militarily or politically. With Hamas, only militarily. So it shouldn't come as too big a surprise to see Israeli support for Fatah.