Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser on the importance of bringing Hamas in from the political cold: Hamas was isolated, violence – predictably – resumed and the whole region paid the price. Israel and America also made attempts to strengthen Fatah, to weaken or destroy Hamas. Such attempts have failed. Fatah’s leadership was not up…
Showing all posts tagged Hamas
Just how far will Hamas push the Strip?
Ben White in the Guardian on the growing Islamisation of Gaza: But why is this happening now? One answer is that these developments in Gaza are a consequence of the state of siege that the tiny territory has been under – a society that has been fenced-in, starved, and seen its very fabric torn apart…
Just another day in the life of the Gaza tunnels
The tunnels that run from Egypt into Gaza are operating in full view of the Egyptians. The Israelis know what is going on. Now and then, a few tunnels are destroyed by Egypt but business is too good to let them all go. Besides, as I saw myself on the border, they remain a life-line…
Chomsky on the Gaza siege
I sent Noam Chomsky my recent article in The Nation about Gaza and his personal response (published with permission) is below: Harsh punishment of Gaza took place long before their preemptive coup in 07, in fact was announced and implemented immediately after the Jan 06 election, both by the US and Israel (with the EU…
The Palestinian territories are moving further apart
More (US?) supported madness between the West Bank and Gaza: Authoritative sources in the Fatah movement have asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that the Palestinian leadership has decided to stop all the funds it pays to the Gaza Strip from the Palestinian Authority’s [PA] budget apart from the salaries of its own employees. According to the…
Gaza in conflict
My following article appears in US magazine The Nation: Israel’s recent war against Gaza has been condemned by virtually every human rights group in the world. An Israeli NGO of combat soldiers called Breaking the Silence released a report in July, based on the testimony of veterans of the Gaza campaign, that found excessive violence…
The Islamists must be held to account, too
Israel committed human rights abuses during the December/January war. And what about Hamas? A new Humans Right Watch report determined Thursday that Hamas rocket fire on Israel’s south constitutes a war crime. The 25-page report documents rocket fire from the Gaza Strip towards Israel starting November 2008 – a period when three Israelis were killed…
The kind of Hamas the world really fears
Amjad Atallah, director of the New America Foundation, explains how Hamas has once again talked about accepting a Palestinian state along 1967 borders. And once again, the world accuses the group of being inflexible. Who is really the intransigent one now? The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that Hamas Chief Khaled Meshaal told Jay…
Fatah is perfect for the West
Fatah is the Palestinian party the West deals with and supposedly likes. In fact, it’s approved because it’s become wonderful at managing Israel’s occupation. Hence the rise in support for Hamas. Its leadership convention opens today in Bethlehem. Ziyad Abu Ayn, a close associate of the jailed leader of the second intifada, Marwan Barghouthi, explains…
Get your popcorn for the Hamas movie
I saw posters advertising this film across the Gaza Strip. Sounds like a hit…if you like that kind of thing: The audience in the Gaza Strip clapped and cheered as the actor delivered the movie’s most memorable line. “To kill Israeli soldiers is to worship God.” “Imad Aqel”, which had its premiere on Saturday, is…