Hamas and Fatah Duke It Out in Gaza
if we're lucky they both lose
By streiff Posted in War — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
For nearly a year we have been commenting on the role Iran is playing in Middle East, in both attempting to stymie US policy and aggrandize influence to itself (here | here | here | here).
One of the most profitable courses of action has long appeared to be harnessing the visceral fear Sunni Arab regimes have for Iran. Part of this playing out has always depended upon the Iranians overplaying their hand.
Maybe that has happened.
Read on.
Numerous papers are now reporting that Iranian agents have been killed and captured by Fatah in Gaza City. This from The Australian:
Seven Iranian weapons experts were seized yesterday in a raid by Fatah-affiliated security forces on the Islamic University, a Hamas stronghold in Gaza City.
Amid an escalation in the confrontation between Hamas and Fatah Palestinian factions, an eighth Iranian was reported to have committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner.
Sources close to President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah said the Iranians included intelligence and chemical experts and a senior military officer.
The Iranian general captured by PA security forces in a raid Thursday was in charge of Hamas’ weapons and explosive production program, an Arab source told Ynet news service.
The source said the Iranian general was in charge of several chemistry laboratories in the university, where he supervised Hamas students employed in the production of explosives. At least 20 female students were arrested in the raid, according to the source.
Fatah has received extensive support from the Saudi government since it lost control (I know, control is a extremely strong word to use here) of Gaza and the West Bank to Hamas. This open conflict between proxies in Gaza increases the chances that fear will succeed in co-opting various Arab regimes into the emerging conflict with Tehran. At the least, it keeps the Palestinians gainfully employed doing what they apparently do best.
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Hamas and Fatah Duke It Out in Gaza 4 Comments (0 topical, 4 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
That was exactly what I wanted to say.
What passed for elections in the PA was not unlike the Guardian Council-approved contest in Iran that elected Ahmadinejad; the only choice anyone had was between crooks and jihadists, and they'd been ruled by the crooks going into the polls. We see now that Fatah and Hamas are just rival gangs and incapable of delivering anything greater to their society.
If nothing else, anyone paying attention would agree that the old fantasy of the pan-Arab nation is dead.
Who said there was no good news in the ME. We should be arming both of them.
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...hope they both lose.