Bombs in Gaza, Parties in Ramallah
While the Gaza Strip tensions have already reached the northern West Bank, with at least 35 detentions of Hamas affiliates by Fatah loyalists in Nablus, Jenin, and Tul Karem, Ramallah’s residents still insist on enjoying the summer.
The blasé attitude seems to have infected even the biggest symbols of the Palestinian intifada, such as Fatah leader Zacaria Zbeide. PJM spoke exclusively to him after he left his guarded bunker in the Jenin refugee camp for the first time in eight years to look for an ophthalmologist in Ramallah. After receiving a pardon from the Israeli government in a deal reached with the Palestinian Authority, the popular leader of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade seems tired of fighting.
During the three-day visit to Ramallah, Zbeide was received as a hero by the citizens. Hosted by a senior Fatah affiliate, he said he was relieved: it was the first time in the past years he’d left his home without looking to the skies, fearing an Israeli plane would be hovering looking for a chance to eliminate him.
“I’m not wanted anymore and I’m happy for this. I don’t care about the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas fight. They only talk and think about their own political interests. They completely forgot the people’s needs. After Arafat we really have no leadership. I’m a military leader and I’m very proud I am alive as the Israelis tried to kill me many times and failed. But I’m concerned about the future. It’s not the political Fatah-Hamas infighting that matters, but the Palestinian people. We are destroying Palestinian kids’ childhood and future and it’s unacceptable and unbearable. If we carry on like this, I can foresee a third Intifada coming. And if there’s a need, I won’t join as a political leader, but a military one.”
While many fear Hamas-Fatah clashes could spread to the West Bank, Israel has its own worries. Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin has expressed deep concerns that Hamas is rearming and turning into a real threat to security in the south of the country. During the government’s weekly cabinet meeting this week, he reported that weapons smuggling to the Gaza Strip has sharply increased in the past months and at least four tons of explosives, Qassam rocket material, and 50 anti-tank missiles have been smuggled into the Strip through tunnels connecting it to Egypt.
Ahmad Yousef, Hamas leader Ismayil Hanieh’s main political advisor, declared in an article written for Palestinian news agency Maan that despite the current atmosphere, “more than any time before, it is suitable for launching a campaign for national dialogue between the rival factions.”
The Palestinian Authority is clearly making huge efforts to prevent the Hamas-Fatah crisis from escalating.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declined to comment on the situation. He preferred to head to Cairo to hold talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, denying any involvement of his loyals in the incident in Gaza. Fatah men, however, are threatening to arrest 200 Hamas members in the West Bank.
In divided Palestine, peace seems always to be around the corner, yet instability is the rule and the future is always uncertain.
Of COURSE Hamas is rearming. Duh. They do that every time there is a lull. It’s a pretty consistent cycle… blow up everything they can, try to call a cease fire for a bit all “we just wanna live normal lives”, stock up on more weapons and blow up everything they can blaming it on the Jews.
When the Palestinians love their kids more than they love killing Jews, we’ll have peace. The only other way to have peace is to lock them down so tightly that they CAN’T blow anything up.
ramallah? you mean where those two jews were publicly lynched and their bodies dragged through the city by a mob 8 years ago?
no thanks, because behind the lights and bustle are citizens ready to kill with their bare hands if the opportunity arises.
Lisa – right on the money. The Palestinians are a death cult with guns, nothing more then common thugs like you would see in any gang-infested inner city. Until they grow up as a society and realize that life is better then death, there is nothing we can do with them but kill them in greater numbers then they kill us.
why would tourists ever want to visit the global welfare capital of ramallah, all shops sell the same crappy knick-knacks throughout the whole country.
I am sick and tired of all these racist comments!!!!,
Lisa, what do you mean by “when the palestinian love their kids more etc”, do the israelis love their children more? If so, why don’t they make peace?
Mike, can you hear the racist and ugly sound of the sentences you just wrote???
Rocketeer, “until they grow up”, is the israeli society grown up??? as far as I can see, it’s quite infantile…
Gila, Israel can make peace when there is someone to make peace with. Israel did ALL the running in the 90s and it got a bloody uprising with more Israelis killed during the “peace talks” than were killed during decades of “war” with the Palestinians. Israel has pulled out to the mm from South Lebanon and Gaza, but stayed in the West Bank and the Golan. Where does all the current violence come from? Where is absolutely quiet? Given the answers to those questions why would Israel pull out from more territory?
As for Israelis love of their children we just paid the price to get two coffins back.
Well . Good Job Rinat ,
But Situation in Gaza Strip is more than “Hamas officials have set up roadblocks across the Strip to check for guns, explosives, and suspects.”
Rinat !! i’ve put Your Article on Current tv network
check it out : http://current.com/items/89154836_bombs_in_gaza_parties_in_ramallah
Gila..
Palestinians send their children to Hamas summer camps and schools to learn about how Jews are the sons of pigs and apes and sing songs about how much fun it is to kill the Jews. There are calls for Palestinian children to come out into the streets and throw rocks at soldiers. They use children as human shields and raise them to be martyrs. Hell, they’ve used retarded teens as suicide bombers.
Israel has tried and tried again and again to make peace… in 1948, in 1967, in 1973, Oslo, Camp David and more. They’ve made peace with their neighbors who have chosen to give up destroying the state.
So yes, I think Israelis do love their children more but no matter how much you love your children, you can’t make peace with someone whose sole ambition is your death and the death of your entire family.
When ever did one person calling the other person a racist change any thing? Ever? It’s just a stupid attempt at moral blackmail, but then that’s all the Pal’s (and Arabs) are good at is blackmail. And blowing s*** up.
Good article RENATA (just for Brazilians, hahaha). Hope to read more of your articles here.
Yikes – what a complex issue here. I had just read an article on http://www.vision.org which helped me understand the conflict from a more historical perspective (“Triumph and Tragedy in the Middle East – What Happened 60 Years Ago, and Why Jerusalem Won’t Go Away” by David Hulme) but this conflict adds more complexity yet. This issue is a hot bed I can see that from the comments above. There is no side at this point that could possibly be “right” if killings and bombings are any indication. It is very helpful to take a moment and think about the similarities between the sides – what is this all about – the right to have family and business and peace and happiness. But that surely can’t be arrived at by hate and prejudice and not understanding the historical perspective.
I have no compassion for these ‘Palestinians’, none at all. Arafat turned down a gilded offer of ‘Palestinian’ statehood back in 2000 and declared war instead on his erstwhile ‘peace partner’. After this stroke of brilliance, the Pals followed up by electing a bunch of thugs into office, who promised more efficient government and more efficient terrorism against the hated Zionists. Of course, Hamas failed on both counts.
The Pals have only succeeded in impoverishing themselves and getting a lot of people (mostly Pals) killed. The Pals, in their zest for hatred of all things Jewish, have also likely succeeded in planting the seeds of hatred into their children, another generation of eager ‘martyrs in waiting’. War without end. It would be tragic if it wasn’t all so predictable.
The Pals have no one but themselves to blame, but remember, the Middle East in particular, and Islam in general, are not too well known for critical self examination.
Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. What a death-loving cult of misbegotten left-behinds. The best Palestinians left that land long ago. What remains is a breeding farm for civilian killing suicide bombers.
Hey, gila, you sexist homophobe. Everyone knows that women and gays are treated better by the Israelis than by the Palestinians.