Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian Authority pursuing West Bank terrorists to impress Trump, analysts say

2025-01-02

[IsraelTimes] Semi-autonomous body wishes to show US president-elect it is capable of governing a post-war Gaza; 11 people killed in last month’s clashes between PA forces and terror groups

The Paleostinian Authority is determined to score a win against forces of Evil in the West Bank ahead of US-President elect Donald Trump
...The Hero of Butler, Pennsylvania...
’s inauguration, aiming to demonstrate its ability to control post-war Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with a rusty iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
, analysts told AFP.

The security forces of the PA, which exercises limited control over the West Bank, have been engaged in deadly festivities with button men since early December. The arrests of several forces of Evil triggered the skirmishes.

The PA forces are fighting members of the Jenin Battalion group, most of whom are affiliated with either Paleostinian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
or Hamas
Hamas

..a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",...
, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered war in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas, which has been in power in Gaza since 2007 when it ousted the PA in a bloody coup, is the main political rival of Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....>
’s Fatah party that dominates the PA.

Eleven people — including PA security personnel, forces of Evil and civilians —have been killed in the violence in Jenin refugee camp, a stronghold of gangs in the northern West Bank and a frequent target of Israeli military raids.

"What is happening in Jenin is a crucial test for the Paleostinian Authority, which is trying to assert its control and impose security in the region," political analyst Khalil Shahin said.

An official with the Ramallah-based PA, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
to discuss the operation in Jenin, said that Abbas "categorically rejects any mediation... and insists these hard boyz surrender themselves and their weapons."

Anwar Rajab, a front man for the PA’s security forces, said, "There will be no tolerance for this rogue group that operates outside the law."

The intra-Paleostinian festivities erupted amid a major raid by PA forces on the Jenin camp, which came after the December 5 arrest of a Jenin Battalion commander on charges of possessing weapons and illicit funds.

Armed Paleostinian factions in Jenin and elsewhere portray themselves as a more effective resistance to Israel than the PA, which coordinates security matters with Israel.

Analysts say that in Jenin, the PA is trying to prove it can control the violence and demonstrate that it could bring stability to Gaza once the war is over.

Shahin said the PA was trying to "weather the storm" of the Gaza war, Israeli offensives and regional upheavals before Trump takes office in January.

’ILLUSIONS’
“The PA hopes that, after Trump sees its ability to control Jenin, he will support it in governing Gaza after the war, unlike President Joe The Big Guy Biden
...46th president of the U.S. Old, boring, a plagiarist, fond of hair sniffing and grabbing the protruding parts of women, and not whatcha call brilliant....
," Shahin said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has ruled out any role for the PA or Hamas in governing Gaza after the war ends.

Regardless whether or not it wins them Gaza, a government ought to actually govern the territory it putatively rules, so this is good practice.

During Trump’s first term, US relations with the PA rapidly deteriorated over what the Paleostinians viewed as a series of moves to sideline them.

Perspicacious of them to notice the blatantly obvious.

Trump broke with most of the world by moving the US embassy to Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. He also suspended aid to Paleostinians and his "deal of the century" to solve the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict would have seen Israel annex 30 percent of the West Bank.

Hani al-Masri, director of the Paleostinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies, said the timing of the Jenin raid appeared to strategically coincide with the lead-up to Trump’s return to the White House, as well as the possibility of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza after nearly 15 months of war.

In an analysis piece for his institute, Masri warned against the "illusions" of trying to appease Trump or believing he would take a different approach in his second term.

While appeasing President Trump will be extremely painful to the Palestinian self-image, not appeasing him will be even more extremely painful to Palestinian prosperity and world support.

The PA "believes it will be acceptable to the new Trump (presidency) if it lowers" its demands or opposition, Masri said.

While Hamas and Islamic Jihad accuse the PA of effectively serving Israeli interests, many fear a more intense outbreak of intra-Paleostinian violence, against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Gaza and a surge in Israeli military raids and settler attacks in the West Bank.

Videos have circulated showing alleged abuses by Paleostinian security forces, further increasing tensions between the rival camps of the PA and Hamas.

Hamas has condemned "grave violations" by the PA’s forces, while Fatah has denounced those who "legitimize chaos and anarchy."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hamas officials’ ties with Iran could determine ~~who will replace Haniyeh~~ status in the new Yahya Sinwar org.

2024-08-07

Published before Hamas named Yahya Sinwar their new Big Turban yesterday. Still useful as a backgrounder on some of the other leading Hamasniks.

[IsraelTimes] Ruling out Mashaal, analysts say slain leader’s replacement must have good relations with Shiite powers, as Hamas looks to Iran for post-war support

In choosing its next leader, the Hamas
Hamas

..not a terrorist organization, even though it kidnaps people, holds hostages, and tries to negotiate by executing them,...
terror group will be looking for a candidate who can safeguard deep ties with Tehran, as Iranian support will be more important than ever to help the group recover after the Gazoo
...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamas with about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response...
war, analysts say.

Hamas has several potential replacements for Ismail Haniyeh
...became Prime Minister of Gaza after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank...
, who was assassinated in Tehran last week in an attack widely blamed on Israel, which has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement. They include former leader Khaled Mashaal, who led Hamas for 13 years from outside the Paleostinian territories, before passing the baton to Haniyeh in 2017.

But experts believe his chances could be hurt by past friction with Shiite Iran
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and its regional allies, notably Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now...
. Mashaal was Hamas leader when the group turned on Damascus during the Arab Spring and declared sympathy with the Sunni-led rebellion against him.

Iran’s support will be doubly important to Hamas as it seeks to rebuild once the guns fall silent in Gaza. The territory has been devastated by the fighting in the months since October 7 of last year, when thousands of bully boyz invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, taking 251 hostages, and sparking the ongoing war.

While Hamas continues to fight in Gaza, 10 months of pummeling by Israel have hit it hard.

This consideration seems likely to boost the prospects of candidates deemed closer to Tehran, including Khalil al-Hayya, currently serving as Hamas’s deputy leader for Gaza, though he left the territory some years ago.

"There might have been some retreat in Mashaal’s chances of taking the place of Haniyeh, because he doesn’t enjoy much support from Iran since he was the one who turned against the Syrian regime and ended the Hamas presence in Damascus," said Ashraf Abouelhoul, a specialist on Paleostinian issues and managing editor of the Egyptian state-owned paper al-Ahram.

"Also the armed wing, which is keen on the concept of rebuilding when the war is over, will be thinking of a candidate whose relations with Iran are strong enough to ensure the rebuilding takes place," he said.

One Hamas official told Rooters the succession had not been settled yet and the deliberations are underway.

HAYYA SAYS HAMAS LEADERSHIP UNITED
Hayya was known to be very close to Haniyeh. He accompanied him to Tehran for the visit during which the Hamas leader was killed in July.

Hayya led Hamas’s negotiating team for hostage-ceasefire talks under Haniyeh’s supervision and also led reconciliation talks with Hamas’s Paleostinian rival Fatah in past years.

Like Haniyeh, he maintained strong relations with Iran and in 2022, he led a Hamas delegation to Damascus to mend ties with Assad, declaring it a historic meeting.

Speaking as Hamas received condolences for Haniyeh’s death in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
, Hayya said the movement’s leadership remained united.

"Our will is strong and can’t be broken by the martyrdom of one leader or two or three," he said. "God willing, within days, we will conclude our consultations to choose a new leader."

Hani al-Masri, a Paleostinian political analyst, said that in less extraordinary times the group’s Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, would have been a candidate.

A criminal mastermind of the October 7 attack, Sinwar is widely believed to still be running Hamas’s war from tunnels under Gaza.

Hayya’s chances are helped by his good ties to the Shiite terror group Hezbollah in Leb
...an Iranian satrapy currently ruled by Hassan Nasrallah situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozen flavors of Christians, plus Armenians, Georgians, and who knows what else? It is the home of the original Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers...
, the region’s most powerful Iran-aligned faction, which has been trading fire with Israel throughout the Gaza war.

Masri noted Mashaal’s leadership qualities and experience, but said his prospects hinged on healing the rift with Iran: "His weak point is his negative relationships with Iran, Syria and Hezbollah at a time when there is... a joint war."

Link

Terror Networks

Veteran Qaeda leader killed

2017-02-10

[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The US military said Wednesday that it had killed eleven al-Qaeda operatives, including a veteran leader and suicide kaboom pioneer, in a bombing raid in Syria. The Pentagon said Abu Hani al-Masri, the Qaeda veteran, was one of those killed in the precision ~~Arclight~~ airstrikes near Idlib carried out on February 3-4.

Al-Masri was an early official in al-Qaeda, overseeing the group’s training camps in Afghanistan in the 1980s and 1990s as he worked with Qaeda founder the late Osama bin Laden
... who used to be alive but now he's not...
and current leader Ayman al-

Zawahiri
... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area assuming he's not dead like Mullah Omar. He lost major face when he ordered the nascent Islamic State to cease and desist and merge with the orthodx al-Qaeda spring, al-Nusra...
. There "he recruited, indoctrinated, trained and equipped thousands of turbans who subsequently spread throughout the region and the world," the Pentagon said in a statement.

They said he also helped found Egyptian Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
"he first Sunni group to use jacket wallahs in their terror attacks." "These strikes disrupt al-Qaeda’s ability to plot and direct external attacks targeting the US and our interests worldwide," said Pentagon front man Jeff Davis.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Palestinian Authority PM Hamdallah Resigns

2013-06-21

[Jpost] PA source: Abbas wants a yes-man with no powers; Dahlan predicts any new PM will also fail if Abbas refuses to share powers.

Less than a month after he was sworn in, Paleostinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Thursday abruptly submitted his resignation to President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
PA officials in Ramallah said Abbas would decide in the coming hours whether to accept the resignation.

Hamdallah, who until recently was president of An- Najah University in Nablus, offered his resignation even though Paleostinians were still publishing advertisements in the media congratulating him and his new ministers.

A source close to Hamdallah said he submitted his letter of resignation to Hussein al- A'raj, director of the PA president's bureau.

The source attributed the move to a power struggle between Hamdallah and his two deputies -- Muhammad Mustafa and Ziad Abu Amr -- who were appointed by Abbas.

"The prime minister feels that his deputies have been encroaching on his powers," the source said.

After submitting his resignation Hamdallah left his office in Ramallah alone and drove in his private car to his home in the village of Anabta, east of Tulkarm.

A senior PA official told the Bethlehem-based Ma'an News Agency that Hamdallah had not clashed with Abbas. The real dispute was between Hamdallah and his two deputies, the official said.

On Thursday evening, senior PA officials headed from Ramallah to Hamdallah's home to persuade him to withdraw his resignation.

Another PA source said that Hamdallah, whom Abbas appointed on June 2, quickly found himself in the same situation as his predecessor Salam Fayyad
...Fayyad's political agenda holds that neither violence nor peaceful negotiations have brought the Paleostinians any closer to an independent state. The alternative to both, violent negotiations, doesn't seem to be working too well, either...
"Hamdallah discovered that the Paleostinian Authority president wants him to serve as a yes-man with no powers," the source explained. "Abbas wanted a prime minister who would play no role and only carry out orders from the president's office."

Abbas's decision to appoint two deputy prime ministers with expanded powers to the new government was the first sign of the PA president's intention to curtail the powers of Hamdallah.

Some Paleostinians pointed out that the real prime minister was Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Muhammad Mustafa, who also serves as the director of the PLO's Paleostine Investment Fund.

Mustafa was initially reported to be Abbas's favored candidate to replace Fayyad. It remains unclear why Abbas finally preferred Hamdallah over Mustafa.

"Hamdallah quit because he was lacking any authority," said Paleostinian political analyst Hani al-Masri. "He discovered that he was just another employee with the rank of prime minister. He had two deputies who were in charge of the political and economic portfolios."

Masri said the swift resignation was an indication of the deep crisis plaguing the PA's political system.

Muhammad Dahlan, a member of the Paleostinian Legislative Council and a former PA security commander, said he was not surprised by Hamdallah's decision to resign.

Dahlan, often described as an arch-enemy of Abbas, said the resignation showed that the PA leadership in Ramallah was determined to "reproduce the same mistakes."

Dahlan predicted that any new prime minister would also fail as long as Abbas refused to share powers with anyone.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Intifada far off

2013-03-15

[Ynet] Arab columnist says Paleostinians will revolt against 'occupation' when they reach state of utter despair

Over the past few weeks an extensive discussion has been held regarding the possibility that the protest against the occupation in the West Bank will escalate into a full-blown intifada. Israel has contributed greatly to this discussion. The heads of the security services in Israel instructed forces to do whatever is necessary to prevent the outbreak of another intifada, which will bring an end to calm and pleasant reality of the occupation in the West Bank.

To this end, the Israeli government has transferred to the Paleostinian Authority the tax revenues it had confiscated, instructed the army to avoid excessive oppression and killing and urged the Paleostinian leadership to prevent the situation from deteriorating.

Israel fears another initidafa, be it an armed uprising or a popular one, because it would expose its true face as a racist and conquering force.

Yeah, yeah.

Such an intifada would unite the Paleostinian people, its political forces and leadership. An uprising would shore up Arab and international support for the Paleostinian cause and prompt regional and international forces to prevent further escalation.

But an intifada has yet to erupt for the following reasons:

First of all, due to the political and geographical division, the Paleostinians concentrate all of their energy on internal struggles, sectoral interests and competition between the various factions. This was evident over the past few weeks when Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, called to expand the protest while the PA urged restraint. Therefore, an end to internal Paleostinian division is one of the conditions for the eruption of a popular uprising. Such an intifada may not be initiated by the key Paleostinian movements, but without them it will not be continuous and will not lead to victory.

Secondly, the lack of a Paleostinian strategy reduces the likelihood of an intifada. The strategy of negotiating with Israel reached a dead end years ago. The armed resistance strategy has also been suspended. The Paleostinian leadership went to the UN, but it does not have a new general strategy. Hamas' strategy of "tahadiya after tahadiya" (calm after calm) is not long-lasting and cannot lead to victory.

Moreover, the leadership, mainly in Ramallah, fears that an intifada may spin out of control and lead to the collapse of the Paleostinian Authority. This is why it preferred the tactic of controllable popular protests.

In addition, the current socioeconomic situation, which encourages the culture of consumption,

That is to say, improved prosperity...

blocks elements of resistance and protest. The way of life in the West Bank and Gazoo, and particularly in Ramallah, has created a gap between the leaders and the people. It has also created individuals and groups, within and outside the Authority, who are against an intifada because it would not serve their interests. They will object to an uprising or refrain from supporting it.

Good for them.

The fifth reason is that the Paleostinian people are suffering from the repercussions of the loss of the uniting national project and the petrifaction of their national institutions, as well as the erosion of these institutions' legitimacy.

Golly. Such fancy, scientific words.

This led to the spread of individualism, nepotism, corruption, sectionalism and to the loss of the people's faith in the institutions.

Wow. Somebody bought a dictionary.

Another reason is that, seemingly, the Paleostinian people will think a million times before launching an intifada, as they cannot ignore the fact that the casualties and suffering during an intifada are always greater than the achievements.

Indeed. Clever of them all to notice.

If we add this insight to the corruption in the PA, we can understand why the simple and poor citizen would say: "I am not going to sacrifice myself or my sons so that the fruits of this sacrifice will be enjoyed by those who are not willing to sacrifice themselves or their sons."

An intifada will erupt only when the people will have hope, or reach a state of utter despair. Currently there is not a lot of hope, but we are not in a state of total despair either. This is why, for now, all we are seeing are seasonal and local waves of protest.

No one knows when the next intifada will break out. But, sooner or later, it will.

Or not, as the case may be. That much can be predicted of a surety.

Hani al-Masri

"The Egyptian?" And now he is a Palestinian...
is a Paleostinian political analyst and an independent columnist for several Paleostinian and Arab papers. His article was published in the Paleostinian news agency Sama and was translated to Hebrew as part of a project initiated by the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute and the I`lam Media Center for Arab Paleostinians in Israel in Nazareth

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

PA police arrest 36 Hamas supporters

2009-06-12

[Jerusalem Post Middle East] Palestinian security forces arrested 36 Hamas supporters, many of them professors and students, the Islamic group said Thursday, widening a crackdown by the Western-backed Palestinian president.

The sweep is part of an apparent effort by Mahmoud Abbas to show he is fulfilling his commitments under the US-backed "road map" peace plan at a time when US President Barack Obama has been pushing both sides to make progress. The crackdown also comes as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu prepares to give a key policy speech Sunday.

Since the Hamas takeover, Abbas' forces have arrested hundreds of Hamas activists, shut down Hamas-affiliated institutions and tried to dry up the group's funding. In the last two weeks, a pair of deadly shootouts between security forces and Hamas gunmen resisting arrest in the West Bank town of Kalkilya left nine dead, including four police officers.

The latest sweep, which began Wednesday, included 17 students from a United Nations-run teachers' institute, Hamas said.

The latest sweep, which began Wednesday, included 17 students from a United Nations-run teachers' institute, Hamas said.

Palestinian police spokesman Adnan Damiri confirmed arrests were made, but did not say how many people were held. He denied the arrests were political, saying those rounded up were tied to crimes involving handling weapons and money for Hamas or "incitement against the Palestinian Authority."

Political analyst Hani al-Masri said Abbas' focus on security serves to show Obama that he is serious about peace talks, while drawing attention away from internal Palestinian divisions. "Security is the only winning card in the hand of the Palestinian Authority now," he said. "Most of the arrests have nothing to do with security."

According to Damiri, the Palestinian Authority is currently holding about 300 Hamas members. Hamas says the number is over 700.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Hizb ut-Tahrir gaining support in Paleoland

2007-08-27

Because all that Palestine needs is a little more Islam.

By day, they are the middle class, putting in days as mild-mannered teachers, factory supervisors and office clerks. But by night, the growing number of supporters of Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Islamic fundamentalists who reject modern democracy in favour of a pan-Islamic religious caliphate, are gathering in the West Bank to recruit the thousands who have grown disillusioned with the vicious stand-off between the secular Fatah and Islamist Hamas.

"Any person living in Palestine now realises political parties, especially the Islamic ones, have not achieved anything for the individual," said Sheikh Abu Abdullah, a thin-framed man with a wiry beard.

He, like many others, says he has given up on both Hamas and Fatah, and will not vote in the next election. "I believe in what [Hizb ut-Tahrir] gives." Its platform calls for the eventual overthrowing of Arab-world governments to be replaced by a caliphate, which would also encompass Israel.

Inside the West Bank, the rise of the Islamist group is being met with increasing concern from secular Palestinians still hoping for democracy and a two-state solution with Israel, as well as from Hamas which is seeing its support eroded by the group.

Calls for early elections have raised fears that Islamist movements will once again carry the legislature - or that so few people will vote that the elections will be meaningless.

"The only thing that is obvious is that Hizb ut-Tahrir is on the rise," said Hani al-Masri, a journalist and political commentator involved in a new secular political movement. "If we do not get new trends, new parties, in the Palestinian arena, a group like Hizb ut-Tahrir will definitely benefit from this vacuum."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Leading PA figures seek to establish 'Palestinian Kadima'

2007-08-12

Disillusioned with Fatah and Hamas, a group of Palestinian businessmen and academics has decided to establish a new political party to run in the next Palestinian Authority election. Some 120 leading businessmen and academics gathered in Ramallah over the weekend to discuss the formation of the new movement, in the first meeting of its kind in recent years. PA officials welcomed the initiative, saying Chairman Mahmoud Abbas had given his blessing to the organizers.

The group is led by the widely-respected billionaire Munib al-Masri of Nablus, who does not belong to any political faction. Other prominent businessmen who have joined the initiative include Mazen Sinokrot, Bassem Khoury, Muhammad Hirbawi, Maha Abu Shusheh and Said Kan'an. "We want to offer the Palestinians something different and a new way," said a meeting attendee. "We are actually trying to set up a Palestinian version of the Israeli Kadima Party, which attracted voters from both Likud and Labor. We are aware of the fact that many Palestinians are disenchanted with Fatah and Hamas and would like to see a new party that can offer them a better future."

Participants at the gathering decided to take gradual steps toward the formation of the new party. The first step calls for establishing a forum that would lay the foundations for the movement. At a later stage, the forum would declare itself the Association of Businessmen and Academics, which will eventually transform itself into a party.

Hani al-Masri, a Palestinian columnist who serves as spokesman for the new group, said he and his associates were seeking to "test the waters" before making a final decision to run in elections. "In the past, we had many new parties that disappeared very quickly," he said. "First, we want to see what the reactions are. That's why the forum will operate as a lobby only. If we succeed in selling the idea, we will declare ourselves as a political party."

Masri said one of the main goals of the party, which would be formally announced in October if all went well, would be to reunite the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. "We have no choice but to reunite the West Bank, which is under Fatah control, with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip," he said. "We condemn the coup that Hamas staged in the Gaza Strip and urge Hamas to reverse the situation there so that we can resume national dialogue between all the factions."

Participants also drafted a document stressing the need to focus on boosting the Palestinian economy. "Politics have been dominating our lives for too long," Masri said. "It's time to focus on other issues such as the economy, culture, music and sports."

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

West Bank strongman scores high in Fatah primaries

2005-12-04

A gruff security chief known for his pragmatic dealings with Israel was the top vote getter in primaries of the ruling Fatah Party in Hebron, according to preliminary results released on Saturday, capping a rocky week of voting throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The victory by Jibril Rajoub, the national security adviser, cemented the emergence of a new ~~but just as blood-thirsty~~ younger generation of Fatah leaders as the party gears up for legislative elections in January.

I've had a soft spot for Jibril ever since Yasser pulled his rosco on him...

With the primary voting over, Palestinian election officials on Saturday opened registration for party candidates. Even after the results were announced in Hebron a group of about 10 Palestinian gunmen stormed Fatahâs election headquarters, accusing Rajoub of rigging the voting. The gunmen from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, fired in the air and stormed the building, forcing local election officials to flee. There were no reports of injuries.

Because no one in Paleo-land can shoot straight.

âVoting within Fatah revealed a deep desire for change. People show no trust in their historical leadership,â said Palestinian political analyst Hani al-Masri.

"Besides, Yasser's dead. I mean he's really stable."

The extent of power given to Fatahâs younger generation could have strong implications for the party and for peacemaking. But Rajoub refused to speculate what position he would be given in the Fatah list for parliament. âI am a member of the Fatah movement and whatever the leadership decides I will do. If they want me to be No. 1, I will be No. 1. If they want me to be No. 66, I will be No. 66,â Rajoub said after the elections were announced.

Time to worry if they make you number 3.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

Sharp increase in Paleo-on-Paleo violence

2005-10-07

Make Mine with extra butter.
The number of Palestinians slain in vigilante killings and other internal violence has nearly quadrupled in four years, from 43 in 2002 to 151 so far in 2005, according to statistics presented Thursday, and one top security official said more Palestinians were killed in internal violence this year than by Israeli troops.
Does this mean we have to start sending pizzas to the Paleos?

Nah, they turn themselves into street pizzas without our help.

The descent into lawlessness is hurting Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas politically, at a time when he is trying to beat back a tough challenge by his Islamic militant rivals. This week, a Palestinian parliament frustrated with armed gangs and corrupt police officers ordered Abbas to disband his Cabinet and make crime-fighting his top priority. "The security situation is deteriorating in a very dangerous way, with no one putting a stop to it," said Hassan Khreisheh, the deputy parliament speaker.

In the most recent incident, a Gaza taxi driver was killed Sunday by gunmen affiliated with Abbas' ruling Fatah movement. At the time, a group of drivers was blocking a junction in southern Gaza to protest rising fuel prices. The gunmen demanded the junction be cleared, then opened fire, killing 30-year-old Yasser Barakeh. Abbas promised Barakeh's family he would track down the killers, but no arrests have been made.

Late Thursday, armed men kidnapped a Palestinian professor known as a Hamas political leader from his West Bank home, his wife said. Palestinians said it was part of an internal conflict. The Israeli military said it had no part in the abduction of the professor, Riad al-Raz, 47, head of the engineering department at A-Najah University in Nablus.

"No, no! Certainly not!"

The growing chaos is, in part, an outgrowth of nearly five years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting. The conflict strengthened armed gangs and weakened the Palestinian security forces, who were initially targeted by Israeli troops. With the breakdown of law, many Palestinians have returned to tribal justice to settle disputes. Some security commanders have become war lords, using the men under their command for personal gain or illegal enterprises, such as weapons deals or extortion. In many cases, policemen are moonlighting as gunmen in militias. The overlap is particularly pronounced in the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which has ties to Fatah.

Abbas, meanwhile, has shied away from confronting the armed groups for fear of civil war. However, his attempt to get armed men off the streets with promises of jobs and political participation has had only limited success. Abbas' security chief, Interior Minister Nasser Yousef, argues he can't fight crime without a political decision to confront the armed groups. "When Hamas keeps its military wing, then Fatah will say, we have the right to do the same," said Yousef's spokesman, Tawfiq Abu Khoussa, referring to unauthorized armed gangs linked to the ruling party. "That's what makes it so difficult for the interior minister to fight chaos and implement the law."

Not having a spine also makes it difficult.

Abu Khoussa said that in 2005, more Palestinians were killed by fellow Palestinians than in fighting with Israel. He did not provide figures, but his claim was backed up by the Independent Commission for Human Rights, an independent Palestinian group.
Someone you can trust; they're "independent."
The growing chaos is quickly turning into Abbas' biggest political headache - even more than the threat from Hamas which is poised to do well in January parliament elections. This week, angry legislators gave Abbas two weeks to present a new Cabinet and focus on battling crime, even ahead of negotiations with Israel. "~~KAOS~~ Chaos is the most dangerous threat Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority are facing now," ...
And Maxwell Smart just died.
... said Palestinian analyst Hani al-Masri. "If the Palestinian Authority doesn't take hard steps to protect us from chaos, it will collapse."

Majed Arouri, a researcher for the group, said 151 Palestinians have been slain in internal violence or as a result of reckless behavior by militants in 2005 so far. For example, the Palestinian-on-Palestinian death toll rose sharply in September when 22 Palestinians were killed when rockets exploded inadvertently at a Hamas military parade. By comparison, 140 Palestinians were killed by Israel Defense Forces troops during the same period, Arouri said.

According to an Associated Press count, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire stands at 127 in 2005 so far, while the Palestinian Health Ministry said the total number was closer to 200. AP does not keep a count of Palestinians killed in internal violence. "We're Journalism majors; we can't count that high."

"But you should believe us anyway."

Statistics about deaths during the five years of Palestinian-Israeli violence are imprecise because of several factors, including differing methods of categorization and conflicting claims of responsibility and blame for many of the deaths. Arouri said there has been a sharp increase in vigilante killings and other slayings of Palestinians by Palestinians in recent years. In 2002, there were 43 such killings, compared to 56 in 2003 and 93 in 2004, he said.
I like that trend. Better that Paleos die than, well, just about anyone else.

Link

Israel-Palestine

Hamas Signals Challenge to Unseat Arafat

2004-09-28

Make mine Orville Redenbacher's Lite! efl
RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinians marked the fourth anniversary of their uprising Tuesday amid signs that the extremist Hamas group is preparing a political challenge to Yasser Arafat despite a series of Israeli military blows at the movement's leadership.
Yasser's M.O. has been to quash any threats to his position. And he's been very good at it (obviously -- although, to remain in power, he's stuck in a bombed out shell, unable to leave). Recently, however, paleos seem to be more disillusioned with him than ever before. After all, he hasn't pushed the Jews into the sea, and his wife is livin' large in Paris. And there's a lot of evidence that he's a corrupt, egocentric bastard (well there has been for some time, but no one believed Israel). This should be interesting.
Hamas published newspaper ads urging supporters to vote in upcoming municipal elections, saying "it's time for change." And a top Hamas leader indicated the group might try to unseat Arafat in presidential elections, which have not yet been scheduled.

The kidnapping, coupled with Hamas' electoral challenge, were apt reflections of the state of affairs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after four years of fighting with Israel. The violence has left Arafat's Palestinian Authority severely weakened, leading to widespread chaos and boosting Hamas' popularity.
so paleos will be trading one loser for a group of 'em. At least Israel never made any promises to not kill hamas like they did arafish.
"We need an evaluation of these four years," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said. "Where have we been right and where have we been wrong? What did we achieve and what didn't we achieve?" Qureia also called on Israel to reassess its policies.
um, lemme help ya with that one, Ahmed
The uprising erupted on Sept. 28, 2000, after Ariel Sharon, then Israel's opposition leader, visited a sensitive Jerusalem hilltop revered by both Jews and Muslims. Palestinian riots broke out, and five months later Sharon defeated Ehud Barak in a special election for prime minister.
try it this way: the wave of terrorism erupted after Ariel Sharon visited a hilltop revered by Jews and Muslims. The arab reaction -- suicide bombings and murders -- was a barbaric response to what some might consider to be a poor choice on Sharon's part.
The fighting has taken a heavy toll on both sides, killing more than 3,000 Palestinians and nearly 1,000 Israelis.
That's 3,000 palestinians, mostly armed terrorists, to 1,000 Israelis, mostly innocent civilians.
But Israel appears to have gained the upper hand. It has confined Arafat to his West Bank headquarters for three years and killed hundreds of leading militants. The Palestinian economy is in tatters.
yet hamas still thinks theirs is a winning strategy. incredible.

In a sign of Palestinian weariness, a recent opinion poll by An-Najah University found that two-thirds of Palestinians support a cease-fire with Israel.

"The uprising has not been defeated, but it has not brought victory. Frankly, it is now closer to defeat than victory," commentator Hani al-Masri wrote in the Palestinian daily Al Ayyam.
Why should that stop 'em? it NEVER has in the past. they live in a frikkin dreamworld, where facts don't seem to matter.
Sharon has abandoned peace talks with the Palestinians and instead launched a "unilateral disengagement" plan meant to separate the two peoples. The plan includes building a huge barrier to separate Israel from the West Bank and making a complete pullout from Gaza next year.

Hamas is vying with other groups for a prominent role after the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, where Hamas wields great influence despite Israeli assassinations of its top leaders. On Tuesday, Hamas published newspaper ads urging its followers to register to vote in local Palestinian elections, which are scheduled to begin Dec. 9. "Fellow citizens, it's time for change. It's time to register your name," the ad said. Hamas previously said it would participate in the elections, but until Tuesday it had shown minimal interest in the campaign.

The call came a day after a Hamas leader was quoted as saying the group planned to contest legislative and presidential elections, which Arafat has promised to hold but has not yet scheduled. The comment by Mahmoud Zahar marked the first time Hamas made such a commitment.
a coherent, well thought out plan, it seems
A strong Hamas campaign could pose a formidable challenge to Arafat. The veteran Palestinian leader consented this month to hold municipal elections in response to widespread discontent over his corruption-plagued government. Arafat has long resisted elections, saying Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip make orderly voting impossible. But critics accuse him of making excuses to avoid facing an electoral test of the growing dissatisfaction with his rule.

Hamas, which has carried out dozens of suicide bombings in Israel, is committed to the destruction of the Jewish state. Even so, Palestinian Authority officials welcomed Hamas' participation in the political process as a sign of moderation. "If Hamas participates in these elections, this will enforce the possibility that Hamas will be closer to a political settlement," said Hassan Abu Libdeh, the Palestinian Cabinet secretary.

Link

Middle East

Palestine TV curbs anti-Israel tone

2003-07-15

BBC Monitoring has observed that the official Palestinian television channel has cut back substantially on anti-Israel rhetoric since the ceasefire declared by Palestinian militant groups on 29 June.
Question is: will the BBC follow their lead?

On Tuesday, the Palestinian Information Ministry announced it had issued specific instructions to all media outlets in the West Bank and Gaza to ensure their compliance with a presidential decree banning "incitement".
How sweet.

Palestinian and Israeli officials agreed to set up two committees "to reach an understanding of the concept and forms of incitement," according to the Palestinian news agency Wafa. "Such programmes are now almost extinct. Instead of incitement and hate passages, the channel broadcasts quiet songs as well as songs in praise of [Palestinian leader Yasser] Arafat," says Israel Radioâs Arab affairs correspondent. Palestine TV had toned down its programming during several previous ceasefires, but this time, it has also aired a new music video aimed at showing Palestinian aspirations for peace with the Israelis.
Wow! Living, breathing, Israelis?

Media analysts with experience of Palestine TVâs output say that while the channel continues to broadcast some music videos containing what some would class as inflammatory material, the effort to tone down its broadcasts - and to be seen to be doing so - is evident. For instance, a phone-in talk show presenter cut off several callers last week after they attempted to express support for suicide attacks or call for the return of lands the Palestinians say were confiscated after Israel became an independent state in 1948. Palestine TV subsequently broadcast a talk show on incitement which included an unprecedented music video dedicated to Israeli-Palestinian peace. The footage gave prominence to scenes of doves, flowers being scattered and Christian, Muslim and Jewish children and adults joining in dance sequences.
Holy Macaroni, WTF?!!!

In an indication that Palestinian officials are attempting to tighten state control over private media, the Information Ministry set a one month deadline on 2 July for media organisations to obtain licences to continue operating. Citing a 1995 law, the Palestinian director-general of Printing and Publications Hani al-Masri said a licence for broadcasters, the press and polling organisations was vital in order to "prevent anarchy and lack of discipline".

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