Israel News reported today on conditions in the Gaza Strip.
“I’m afraid to say this out loud, they may execute me for it, but there are a lot of people, including myself, who think it would be better if Israel came back here. Things would be much better than they are now,” said Samara (alias), a graduate of the Islamic University living in the Gaza Strip.
According to Samara, who lives nearby one of the Fatah strongholds taken over by Hamas in recent days, fear reigns in Gaza’s streets, and apart from gunmen and military officials, no one leaves their homes.
“The children are afraid all the time,” Samara says. “My nephews ask, ‘Why are the Israelis shooting at us?’, and we tell them it’s Palestinians. Then they ask, ‘Why are Palestinians shooting at us?’, and I have no answer for them.
She blames both sides for the escalating violence. According to her, both Hamas and Fatah need to understand that they are one people. “They promised us a better life, and the situation is only getting worse. I’m afraid that by next week we’ll become a Taliban state.
Israel is not free of blame in Samara’s eyes either. According to her, despite the Israeli government’s desire to wash its hands of Gaza, it should have done so the “right way”, and left it with economic infrastructures.
Samara explained that the economic boycott on the Palestinian Authority punished residents of Gaza, and not Hamas. She called on Israel to open the Rafah crossing and allow those who could to leave Gaza. “The Strip is like a jail, and we could die,” she said.
I'm not sure Samara realizes that Palestinians are forbidden from leaving Gaza. Would knowing this change her view on who's to blame there? Not that it would matter much. The gunfighting continues, Palestinians against Palestinians, with innocent Palestinians forced to suffer. What a waste.
Meanwhile, WorldNetDaily reported yesterday that President Bush is pursuing a policy of insanity in Israel, the definition of insanity being: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.
After the Hamas terror group's takeover of U.S.-backed Palestinian security compounds in Gaza and seizure of large quantities of American weapons, the Bush administration is contemplating sending more weapons to the Palestinians and is asking Israel to make security concessions to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli and Palestinian diplomatic sources told WND today.
According to the diplomatic sources, U.S. and European Union officials are making plans to transfer emergency aid to Abbas' Fatah party to secure its grasp on the West Bank after Hamas this week took complete control of the Gaza Strip, including all Fatah security compounds, many of which contained American weapons. The proposed aid to Fatah in the West Bank entails providing both funds and heavy weaponry, the diplomatic sources said.
Diplomatic sources said the U.S. is expected to urge Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians in the West Bank so Abbas can claim achievements at a time his rule is being thrust into question. Israel will be asked, among other things, to dismantle anti-terror West Bank checkpoints and unfreeze tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue the Israeli government has held from the Palestinians for fear the money will be used to fund terrorism, the sources said.
So we're asking Israel to loosen their security and risk more terrorism, while we send more weapons for Fatah to lose to Hamas, so Hamas can attack Israel more effectively. I hope Israel tells President Bush where to stick this latest idea.
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