I am not one of those who can gloat over the incipient (or already existing) civil war in Gaza between Fatah and Hamas. It’s hard to imagine in our times two more hideous adversaries. In Iraq, where civil war is said to loom, there are good guys (today, it seems, a fair number of good guys), but the Palestinians are perpetually stuck between “tyrant duke and tyrant brother”. Of course, they have made their own bed to a great extent. Still the news that Hamas has apparently tried to murder the Fatah intelligence chief signals things have gone from bad to Medici worse (without the art). The NYT reports the Fatah man was taken to a Tel Aviv hospital to save his leg. I wonder how the Palestinians react to that. Reading Michael Totten’s post of yesterday I was reminded how complex, often sad and resigned, their thinking can be beneath the surface. That one of their leaders had to be taken to Israel for treatment (an old story, actually) probably only increases their shame. To the clear-thinking mind it should be a wakeup call. This is a society that should be building hospitals, not bombs. But then maybe, at base, they don’t really want progress. Now there’s a depressing thought.
UPDATE: According to Hamas, they’re not at fault. It’s “butter fingers.” [At least they didn’t blame Israel. That’s progress.-ed. Yes… so far.]
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