Garbanzo Toons

Peace in Gaza?

Time Magazine ran a puff piece on the new Hamas utopia in Gaza.

The rule of law has returned to Gaza. Just two months ago, this beachfront slice of sand dunes and concrete jungles, home to about 1.5 million Palestinians, was one of the most dangerous places on earth. In June, after a few days of internecine warfare, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, took control of Gaza from its rival, Fatah. Since then, Gaza has been under siege. Almost all shipments except for basic humanitarian supplies are barred from entering, and almost nothing comes out. The blockade is part of an Israeli and American strategy to isolate Hamas in the hope that Palestinians will turn away from its Islamist leaders, who have never recognized Israel, and toward Fatah, which is willing to restart the peace process. So far, the plan isn't working. With a free hand to govern as it pleases, Hamas is building popular support and military capability that may well outlast the international blockade.

Security is key to support for Hamas. Within a week of the takeover, crime, drug smuggling, tribal clashes and kidnappings had largely disappeared. According to human-rights groups, the ability of the Executive Force to achieve such a result is an indictment of the corruption and criminal collusion at the top of the Fatah-dominated security services that once controlled Gaza. "For the last year and a half, there has been an orchestrated escalation of chaos by some Banana Republic officers to show that Hamas does not have control of Gaza," said Raji Sourani, director of the Palestinian Center for Human Rights. "Gaza became like Somalia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Thugs and gangsters were ruling, and some were supported and protected by our own security forces."

As the Gazans can never be held accountable for their self-inflicted misery, any problems are always the fault of Israel.

Yet Gazan business owners like Telbani and el-Helou--practical, apolitical men--are unanimous in their criticism of Israel rather than Hamas for economic problems. "If we are free, we should control our own borders," said el-Helou. "But we do not, so the full responsibility is on the Israeli side." And business leaders point to a paradox of the embargo; it is destroying the only class of Palestinians who looked favorably on Israel. Most of those in commerce speak Hebrew and have--or used to have--Israeli clients, partners and friends. They had once looked forward to the day when there would be no trade barriers between an independent Palestine and an Israel with which it was at peace. "The majority of Gazans do not like Israel," said Amassi Ghazi, the chairman of a company that imports building materials. "Until now, only the private sector had good relations with Israel. So please open the border before all Gaza will be enemies of Israel."

It's the same old story. Gazans can do no wrong. Israel can do no right.

The Detroit Free Press ran this piece of idiocy, supplied by the Israel haters at McClatchy Newspapers.

If you think of the Gaza Strip as a volatile, violent battleground run by fanatic Islamist militants bent on destroying Israel, Hamas wants you to think again.

Think: "Safe, clean and green."

One month after seizing the Gaza Strip in a military rout that shattered brittle Palestinian unity, Hamas is embarking on a radical marketing campaign to promote what it calls "the new face of Gaza."

They call it the "Gaza Riviera."

Hamas banners flutter over Gaza City with a message for aid workers and journalists worried about being kidnapped: "No more threat for our foreign visitors and guests."

Bearded gunmen in blue-gray camouflage uniforms who helped seize control of Gaza now rush to settle routine neighborhood squabbles and family disputes.

Once-deserted Mediterranean beaches are now filled with dozens of families holding picnics to escape the summer heat until long after midnight.

I couldn't help but wonder how Gilad Shalit is enjoying his forced stay in the "Gaza Riviera" after being kidnapped by Hamas over a year ago. Neither McClatchy nor The Free Press thought to ask.

Once again though, the Gazans shoot themselves in the foot by showing their true colors.

Palestinian officials and witnesses say Hamas militiamen detained at least 10 members of the rival Fatah movement after breaking up a wedding and beating guests.

The witnesses said the arrests occurred during overnight marriage celebrations in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanun.

Hamas authorities say the wedding guests were singing Fatah nationalist songs in support of Palestinian President and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, and firing guns into the air.

Hospital workers said at least 10 people were hurt in the confrontation.

Witnesses said that after the incident, about 150 relatives of those arrested staged protests outside Hamas offices in the town. Most of the protesters were women and children.

Hamas militants took control of the Gaza Strip nearly two months ago after a week of deadly street battles with Fatah.

So far neither of the Detroit papers have reported on this embarrassing situation. By the way the wedding crashers video is here.

Labels: Detroit Free Press, Gaza, Gilad Shalit, McClatchy Newspapers, Time Magazine

posted by Harry @ 8:04 PM 2 comments

Mind Games

Sometimes I turn on Free Speech TV. Part of the reason is masochism, part is the need to actually see the arguments those people are making. Are they really as absurd as some on the right say they are? Usually they really are that absurd.

I caught the end of a show called, Every Church a Peace Church. Even before I heard what the two gentlemen on the show were talking about, by brain had turned it into Every Church Appease Church.

So what were they discussing? The damage we are doing in Iraq; "we", being the United States. I suppose they were upset that the United States Armed Forces ended the golden age in Iraq under Saddam. We have to learn to appease the Islamic totalitarian dictators. Appeasement worked against the Nazis, didn't it? And it's certainly worked in the Middle East, with Israel handing over Gaza, allowing it to become a haven for terrorists, and a Jew-free zone.

Oh wait. It's not strictly a Jew-free zone right now, not after some Gazan citizens invited Gilad Shalit to be their special guest in Gaza. Not wanting to be left out however (jealousy?) more Israeli citizens have entered Gaza; the IDF. And now, after working really hard to make sure that Gilad Shalit entered Gaza, the Gazans are upset that he was followed by more members of the Israeli military.

Now the Palestinians are screaming out their stupid, familiar refains of "humanitarian crisis", "collective punishment", "Israeli agression", "crimes against humanity". They are making demands. The IDF and IAF are in their backyard, and they are making demands. Outrageous chutzpah, you say? Not at all. They've become used to Israeli appeasement. They've gotten it in the past; they expect it again. Why not? They've been fighting a war against Israel for 60 years. Militarily they've gotten their asses repeatedly handed to them. But Israel, the Jewish state, based on Jewish values has never fought to crush and humiliate their Muslim enemies. They've never shown the Palestinians that there are consequences for your actions. In fact, truck with food, fuel, other supplies have been allowed to enter Gaza. Again they are shown that unlike the rest of us, they don't have to suffer the consequences of their actions. If they scream loud and long enough, either Israel, the United States, or the United Nations will make it all better.

The rest of the world, including those who should know better, like the EU and the United States have contributed to this mess by their constant defeatist refrain of "restraint". On the few occasions that Israel has been prepared to destroy its enemies, in 1967 and 1973, the world demanded that Israel show restraint. Do Israel's enemies ever face the same demand? And if they did, would they heed it? Not according to the charters of the PLO and Hamas.

So does Olmert have the backbone to demonstrate to the world that Israel is no longer a Palestinian punching bag? Will Israel be allowed to show the rest of the world how to fight against the Islamic terror machine? Or will they once again be reduced to begging a weaker enemy for peace? Will they continue to appease terror? Will they be forced by the legions of terror apologists world wide to continue to appease?

We know the answer, but we also know that Israel has to have the strongest spirit of any nation on this planet to have survived this long. I pray that Israeli spirit stays strong. And I will continue to support Israel in its battle against Islam.

Labels: Free Speech TV, Gaza, Gilad Shalit, human shields, Iraq, Israel, Palestinians

posted by Harry @ 11:35 PM 0 comments