May 15, 2007:
Gaza is becoming more like
Somalia, with multiple armed groups struggling like gangsters to control their
turf. Into the mix has come Islamic fundamentalist groups, who want to control
every aspect of peoples lives. Thus nearly a hundred businesses and
organizations, believed to be "un-Islamic" have been attacked
recently in Gaza. These include video stores, Internet cafes and schools that
are not run by clerics. Some of the Gaza warlords have allied themselves with
the Islamic radicals to increase their power. Like Somalia, Gaza faces invasion
by a neighbor the Islamic militants have vowed to destroy. For Somalia, this
was Christian Ethiopia. For Gaza, it's Israel. Somalia is considered a
"failed State," a country that never worked. Sounds like the
Palestinians as well.
The latest peace deal in Gaza has fallen apart.
While Fatah controls security forces with 80,000 armed men, the 10,000 or so
armed men loyal to Hamas are more aggressive and effective. The rest of the
Arab world is dismayed at the continued Palestinian failure to run their own
affairs.
In Lebanon, Hizbollah is increasingly criticized
for getting into a war with Israel, that resulted in doing great damage to
Lebanon, and Hizbollah, while actually making Israel stronger. Even Hizbollah's
leader has openly admired how the Israelis learn from their mistakes, while
such a thing is unknown in the Arab world.
May 1 4, 2007: After a weekend of violence,
that left at least eight dead, Egypt has brokered a peace deal in Gaza. As part
of the deal, Hamas and Fatah will exchange twenty hostages. The Palestinian
Interior Minister resigned, as sign of the failure of this latest attempt to
being peace to Gaza.
May 13, 2007: A senior Palestinian terrorist,
affiliated with Fatah, was shot and killed in Gaza. Hamas was accused of this
killing, and retribution was promised.
May 12, 2007: Palestinian leaders are much
embarrassed by the attention one of their childrens TV shows is getting. A
Mickey Mouse character is used to preach hatred of Israel to children. It
wasn't the message that made the news in the West, but rather the use of the
iconic Walt Disney creation to deliver it. What annoyed the Palestinians was
that this incident made it pretty obvious that they were sending out two very
different messages. To the West, the Palestinians preached peace and
willingness to negotiate a peace deal with Israel. But to themselves, their
children and the Arab world, they broadcast a call for the destruction of
Israel, and no compromise on that point. This has long been the case, and the
Western media has thoughtfully ignored it. The Mouse tirade probably won't
change this.
May 11, 2007: Three more rockets were fired
into Israel from Gaza. Although there was no damage, it was noted that the
rockets used in the last few weeks appear to have more powerful warheads.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, the attempt to restore law and order has led to more
violence. The usual fighting between gangs continues, and added to that are
battles with police.
May 10, 2007: For the first time, the Arab
League sent a negotiating team to meet with Israelis and work out a deal to
settle the Palestinian dispute. Since Israel was founded in 1948, the Arab
League refused to recognize the existence of Israel. After more than half
a century of noting that this has not worked, the Arab League is trying a
different approach.
May 9, 2007: In yet another attempt at a
truce in Gaza, 3,000 Palestinian police hit the streets, with the intention of
directing traffic and patrolling lawless neighborhoods.