Hamas is turning Gaza into a hell hole...
Hamas will pick guns and bombs over governance any day....Jonathan Schanzer looks at the Misrule in Gaza in the New York Post....
International Exodus: Foreigners who came to help are starting to flee for their lives - even armed foreigners. One group of Egyptian military officers has reportedly been recalled to Cairo on account of the dangers, with the two generals who remain spending most of their time in Israel, for fear of violence.
The United Nations may even declare Gaza a "dangerous zone." That would precipitate the evacuation of nearly all foreign nationals.
This would be disastrous for the general population: Nearly two-thirds of Gaza's 1.4 million residents claim refugee status, and rely on the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) and other aid organizations.
Unsafe Streets: The Palestinian media reports that crimes, including car theft and abductions, are skyrocketing. Iranian-trained Hamas forces are battling Egyptian-trained Fatah forces, rather than policing the streets. National Security Adviser Muhammad Dahlan admits that "many young men prefer to work for clans and not the security forces."
Last Sunday, a group calling itself the Islamic Swords of Truth, a self-appointed vice squad, claimed responsibility for bombing the Gaza Bible Society's bookstore and two Internet cafes.
In response, Palestinians are taking the law into their own hands. In March, one of Gaza's large clans gathered to blockade a main road in Northern Gaza to protest against the targeting of one of their shops by a vice squad. The family demanded that the government bring law and order back to the streets.
Dwindling Media Freedom: Last week, security guards broke up a peaceful media protest of the government's inability to secure the release of Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist kidnapped more than a month ago - and injured three journalists.
A group calling itself the Tawhid and Jihad Brigades just issued a statement claiming to have executed Johnston. Foreign journalists now fear for their lives.
Health Risks: The collapse of a sewage-treatment pool in Umm al-Naser, a North Gaza village, killed three women and two toddlers and injured 25 others in March. The "sewage tsunami" submerged at least 25 homes and caused untold damages to the 3,000-person village.
Fadel Kawash, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, told the Associated Press that a number of sewage projects, including the one in Umm al-Naser, were halted when Hamas pulled funding after their electoral victory in January 2006. Said one U.N. official, "this has been a tragedy that was predicted and documented."
Officials believe that another cesspool collapse is possible, unless prophylactic steps are soon taken.
Provocations: Hamas continues to permit provocations against Israel from Gaza - notably, the homemade Kassam missiles shot into Israel nearly every day.
Yuval Diskin, the chief of Shin Bet, Israel's counterintelligence and internal-security service, recently warned that Israel must begin to think about thwarting a more dangerous situation in Gaza, should Hamas develop more dangerous capabilities.
Hamas is tempting Israel into a confrontation, with reckless disregard for the Palestinian population. Gaza is the most densely populated place on earth; any military incursion - like Israel's response last year to similar Hamas provocations from Lebanon - would inflict utter devastation.
posted by GayandRight @ 9:38 AM
8 Comments:
"utter devastation" how would you tell the difference
Perhaps Gaza wouldn't be a "hell hole" if countries like Canada would start giving the aid needed to the Palestinian authority we promised. Except when Hamas was elected, Canada along with the EU and the USA, halted funding to the Palestinian Authority believing Hamas would misuse the money to fund terrorism.
Now, without Canadian/American/European aid the PA has to resort to taking aid from Iran. Now Iran has a greater influence in the area than Canada.
We created this with our ignorance and muddling in palestinian democracy.
"Fadel Kawash, head of the Palestinian Water Authority, told the Associated Press that a number of sewage projects, including the one in Umm al-Naser, were halted when Hamas pulled funding after their electoral victory in January 2006."
Funny how the project was cancelled after Hamas was elected. Right after the PA funding was frozen. How can they keep up these projects with no money? Hmmm?
Dylan - Are you trying to tell us that Hamas isn't involved in terrorism? If so, my followup question is: "What colour is the sky in your world?"
Dylan,
Your response reflects your own "ignorance" and not that of our government.
Hamas's (and your) claim that the cancellation of the project it is a result of the cut in aid to the PA is untrue. As the BBC's reports on the Umm al-Naser tragedy point out:
"Stuart Shepherd, the UN's humanitarian aid officer in Gaza, said the Umm al-Naser plant had not been affected by the aid boycott, noting there had long been warnings about the plant.
"A UN report in 2004 had warned that the sewage facility was at its maximum capacity, and flooding was inevitable unless a new waste treatment plant was constructed.
"Mr Shepherd said foreign investment had been secured to build the treatment plant, but construction had not gone ahead because of security risks in the area."
The tragedy at Umm al-Naser is the result of Hamas choosing to concentrate its resources on attempting to slaughter civilians (amongst other military operations) instead of providing security. As it is often noted, Hamas is a significantly disciplined force, it could choose to use its military resources to maintain peace and security in Gaza. Instead, in order to gain sympathy and support from people abroad such as yourself it will engage in whatever actions it can to provide the appearance that it is the fault of the Israelis.
In light of the actions of Hamas since being elected, Canada's, the United States', and the EU's decision to cut off aid seems incredibly sage. The democratically elected Hamas has purposely chosen to use its resources since elected to violently attack is political opposition (the internecine fighting going on between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza), and to continuing attacking not only Israeli military targets, but purely civilian targets behind the Green Line. Further, when problems do occur, such as the Umm al-Naser tragedy, Hamas attempts to deceive the wider world that it is their fault for cutting off aid, when it was Hamas fault for choosing not to provide security. If anything, this tragedy illustrates why aid must not given, because Hamas has proved that when it comes to issues of international aid, their first response is to lie. How can we trust them with aid when their record is to use the resources they have to kill civilians, both Israeli and Palestinian alike.
I rented a DVD from the Documentary section and it was about a "Death In Gaza" , but after I viewed it I saw a propaganda film with staged victims and a fake Hospital where blood didn't seem to stick to vinyl gurneys.
It was the typical Pallywood film company rented Ambulance and animated men and mothers crying to Allah as the boy looks at the camera , there were sound effect
placed over a clip of IDF vehicles driving by as if a machine gun was shooting at civilians and children.
Then i rented the farce about the Journalist shot in palestine , but two glaring lies come out in the film , one is the Palestinian female in the house that tells the reporter that it's safe at night if you hold a white cloth and shine a flashlight at the IDF as you approach the back of a APC on patrols, the reporter idiot goes out in the dark and uses a flashlight and white rag while his crew carry shoulder mounted cameras and squat as the creep towards the APC yelling "Don't shoot...don't shoot...we're reporters".
The bonus material has his wife claiming a stray bullet hit him and he was rushed to a hospital and died 7 hours later , yet in the film her voice over announces the bullet fire and she says "here's where he was murdered by the IDF " as he falls to the ground and dies.
Then i find out she start a Truth-Movement in the UK to get the real story over who murdered her husband approaching a APC in a war-zone in the dark with shoulder mounted Cameras and a flashlight while yell at the IDF that you are a Reporter as if the Hamas has never tried that before.
There was a ghetto with a Benz parked in the distance and a Benz taxi driving the film crew around, there was also a woman sitting near a airport runway and it made the planes going by appear to be a military fighter with bombs , she even had the over weight child in poverty that was frightened by the plane.
I think journalists suffer from the Stockholm symdrome and become martyers for islam by staged their death to be caught on film, the reporter was put on the hamas wall of fame.
Plus the wife now blames the IDF for her fatherless children , but she knew he worked in danger zones and that the kids barely saw him , she still crusade for her husband to get the Truth about the murder.
Palestinian's wishes are coming true, they're getting what they deserve.
brian - I am not saying that Hamas is not involved in terrorism. Thanks for your question. Next!
Jordan - Great articles. However, Hamas was not elected in 2004. They were elected in 2006. And if your report is correct, which it is, then Fatah would have been responsible for the non-action on a new plant.
"The tragedy at Umm al-Naser is the result of Hamas choosing to concentrate its resources on attempting to slaughter civilians (amongst other military operations) instead of providing security."
That's conjecture.
I wonder, how many of you have been to Palestine? Anyone?
I have not visited Palestine, but I have visited Lebanon and met with palestinian refugees. The South end of Beirut is where many Palestinians live in squallor. The attitude towards Palestinians from many Arab countries (Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi...) is less than enthusiastic.
Violence in Gaza is not entirely (and I use the word entirely on purpose) because of Hamas or Hezbollah or any other militant group. It's caused by a whole host of socio-economic problems and, lest we forget, their OCCUPATION. Something about having settlers illegally occupy your former homes might spark some violence without the need of an organized group. Having your school closed or losing your job because aid has been cut off from the west would also spark some violence.
The West and Israel are to blame for the creation and militant activity of Hamas as the Palestinian people are.
Anonymous - tough words for the two of you. I s'pose that's why you're not willing to put your names behind them.
Our main point of disagreement is probably a philosophically irreconcilable one. I view the choice to resist the Israeli occupation primarily through violent means aimed purposely at causing the greatest degree of civilian casualties (aka terrorism) as a choice.
The Israelis are not some horrible, aggressive, unreasonable occupying power that only understands the barrel of a gun. Quite the opposite, it is the (often grotesque) violence of the Palestinians that perpetuates the occupation. Israel has a strong peace movement and the majority of Israelis would
Not only was Israel founded in the wake of the holocaust (at no fault of the Arabs), but since its foundation it has only every existed under a very real threat of extinguishment. Not only are there the numerous wars launched against Israel by its neighbours (or provoked by their aggression), but during Israel's first two decades , it suffered constant bloody raids aimed at killing and terrorizing its civilian population by the "Palestinians" (using the term "Palestinians" to refer to that Arab nationality now referred to as Palestinians prior to the 1960s and especially prior to the foundation of Israel is anachronistic). One must not also forget that the response of the rest of the Arab world to the first exchange of "Land for peace" with Egypt was the "three nos" which expelled Egypt from the Arab League and committed the league to the extinguishment of Israel (one should note that large scale colonization of the occupied territories outside of Jerusalem and Hebron only began after the brutal rejection of the "land-for-peace" formula by the Arabs -- settlements before that were small and effectively military bases on the cheap).
Israelis live with the ever-present and genuine fear that their neighbours, Palestinians chiefly among them, aim to exterminate them -- a fear that has been illustrated during the massacres of the Arab riots, the ethnic cleansing of all Jews from Jerusalem following Jordanian occupation, and the constant raids against their civilians. The grotesque violence of the Intifada only feeds this fear.
The Palestinians could instead choose a peaceful alternative. Instead of voting for the explicitly genocide Hamas, they could have voted for Mustafa Barghouti's Independent Palestine Party (aka the PNI) which promoted the idea of civil disobedience against Israeli occupation.
I sincerely believe that if the response to Ariel Sharon's walk on the Temple Mount was a sustained campaign of civil disobedience and not violence, that we would have seen by today a complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories (assuming some compromise of joint sovereignty over Jerusalem and Hebron).
Whereas a decision by the Israelis to withdraw entirely from the occupied territories in face of violence would only encourage greater violence and instead of accepting the Green Line, the Palestinians would continue to demand greater concessions and continue to engage in violence.
The West and Israel are to blame for conditions which makes it more likely that people will choose militant activity. However, it is not the West and Israel alone who bear this responsibility -- as you note, the blame also partially rests with Israel's Arab neighbours. Neighbours such as Jordan which occupied and annexed the West Bank and never gave Palestine independence, or neighbours which for decades refused to negotiate peace with Israel in exchange for a Palestinian state. Second, although these conditions make it more likely that someone will opt for violence, the decision to opt for such violence ultimately rests with the Palestinians, civil disobedience would not only be a more moral choice, but probably a vastly more effective one as well.
As well, although my statement that "The tragedy at Umm al-Naser is the result of Hamas choosing to concentrate its resources on attempting to slaughter civilians (amongst other military operations) instead of providing security" is conjecture, so was the alternative vision you presented. The difference was my source was Stuart Shepherd, the UN's humanitarian aid officer in Gaza; whereas yours was Fadel Kawash, head of the Palestinian Water Authority. You state/imply that the project was cancelled because a lack of funding (ie aid from Canada, et al.) where as I state funding for the Umm al-Naser plant suffered not cut in funding for that project because of the reduction off aif from Canada, et al. -- based on Stuart Shepherd's comment that "the Umm al-Naser plant **had not been affected by the aid boycott.**"
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