Iran And Hamas Threaten Peace Process

As would-be peacemakers bask in the international limelight of the Annapolis conference, back in the Middle East two other parties are serving up notice that no deal will come to pass, if they can help it: Iran and its Palestinian ally, Hamas. "The Annapolis conference was already a failure," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told journalists after a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday. The U.S. could sponsor a hundred such meetings, he added, and the result would be the same. In Gaza, which is effectively ruled by the fundamentalist Hamas group, anti-Annapolis protesters filled the streets. "They can go to thousands of conferences and we will say in the name of the Palestinian people that we do not accept," Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar told the demonstrators.

Here is a brief overview of Hamas and the problems they create:
HAMAS (in Arabic, an acronym for "Harakat Al-Muqawama Al-Islamia", Islamic Resistance Movement, and a word meaning zeal) is a radical Islamic fundamentalist organization which became active in the early stages of the intifada, operating primarily in the Gaza District but also in Judea and Samaria. Formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood. Various HAMAS elements have used both political and violent means, including terrorism, to pursue the goal of establishing an Islamic Palestinian state in place of Israel. Loosely structured, with some elements working clandestinely and others working openly through mosques and social service institutions to recruit members, raise money, organize activities, and distribute propaganda. In a January 2006 election, Hamas won a majority of seats in the Palestinian legislature.

HAMAS activists, especially those in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, have conducted many attacks, including large-scale suicide bombings, against Israeli civilian and military targets. In the early 1990s, they also targeted suspected Palestinian collaborators and Fatah rivals. HAMAS increased its operational activity during 2002-2003, claiming numerous attacks against Israeli interests. The group has not targeted US interests, although some US citizens have been killed in HAMAS operations, and continues to confine its attacks to Israelis inside Israel and the territories.

There are an unknown number of official members; tens of thousands of supporters and sympathizers. Hamas receives some funding from Iran but primarily relies on donations from Palestinian expatriates around the world and private benefactors in moderate Arab states. Some fundraising and propaganda activity take place in Western Europe and North America.

The second part of this duo of peace haters is being led by none other than the "little" man himself, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is already calling the meetings a failure, and again saying Israel will not be part of the Middle East in the future, as they will not "last",and that deterioration is in the nature of this regime as it has been built on aggression, lying, crime and wrongdoing," he added. Where's King Juan Carlos, when you need him--"Shut up Mahmoud!!".


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Abbas Versus Hamas

In an extremely late but necessary move, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has shown that he may have found his "cajounes", as he harshly criticized Hamas for taking over Gaza last week and even going so far as to call the group, murderous terrorists. He also accused Hamas of trying to assassinate him last month, with an under the road bomb which was to go off as his auto passed over it.

Hamas denied that they tried to kill him, but it sure looked as though they would have assisted him off the top of a building if he had not left for the West Bank, before they could get ahold of him.

President Abbas has appealed for international help in convening a peace conference and has asked Israel to resume the peace talks directly. Wow, quite a turnabout in just one week, maybe the fear of Hamas is enough to keep him moving forward with a peace process that in the end would benefit his people as well as the Israeli's, who are already feeling the rocket attacks by Hamas again.

Israel is making some border raids into Gaza with tanks and have killed 4 Palestinian's so far, and have also fired missiles at Hamas strongholds. The majority of Israeli tanks are at the border, waiting, at the Ready, in case of further Hamas attacks. They also have helicopter's which they use with precision and deadliness, but as of this writing they have not yet been deployed.

Even though I have been very critical of President Abbas in the past, I hope that finding his "cajounes" will finally give him the courage to fight Hamas for control of all Palestinian territories down the road. I hope that for this current situation it will keep him strong enough to follow through on commitments it makes to acquire independence for his fellow Palestinian brother's and sister's.

There was time in the past for a brief couple of minutes when Yassar Arafat had the opportunity to give his people an independent homeland, but he was such a worm that he threw it away, by pretending to be for peace and then sanctioning the terrorist's who killed innocent Israeli's at random. Hopefully, Arafat is burning in Hell for the misuse of his authority and keeping his people in chains.

I wish for President Abbas the best and now use your anger and contempt for Hamas to move the peace process to a successful conclusion, and start by getting your people an independent West Bank, which could set the example for Gaza to follow suit!!
May God assist these men to do the right thing this time! Peace now and always, as this whole area needs a long deserved Rest!

Civil War In Gaza?

The news from the middle east continues to be grim as Hamas attacks Fatah positions in the Gaza Strip and efforts to end the violence fail.
The situation seems to be heading for an all out civil war as Hamas has given Fatah security forces an ultimatum to hand over their weapons by 7p.m. (noon EDT) Friday.
There are reports that President Mahmoud Abbas has called on exiled Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to end the violence. Mashaal is currently in Damascus, Syria, and has not responded to President Abbas's request as of this morning.
The story reports that over 50 people have died since the fighting began on Monday, with Hamas blaming the fighting on the Fatah security forces who they say are corrupt and riddled with criminals, while Abbas just says that the fighting is madness and will tear their government apart.
The United Nations is limiting its' activities in Gaza after two Palestinians that worked for them were killed. The United States has issued a warning for reporters to leave the country. The warning was issued by a State Department spokesman on Tuesday.
It is such a shame that these people cannot get a moments rest from the violence that pervades their nation, whether it be fighting with the Israeli's or as is now happening with their countrymen.
The United Nations needs to step in and try and control the situation before all out war breaks out and it spills over to the West Bank, where Fatah holds the upper hand, and the whole region blows up with violence and reprisal killings.
The culprit here is Hamas's sponsor Syria, which continues to cause trouble there and in Lebanon. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi should call her new friends in Damascus and get them to reign in Hamas before it is fully out of control.
Another sad week in the Middle East.
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Israel Responds To Rocket Attacks

What a twisted world this continues to be when many call on Israel to stop attacking “innocents” in the Gaza Strip. This completely ignores the fact that the Israeli’s are trying to protect their citizens from continued rocket attacks from the Hamas militants. It is Hamas that started these rocket attacks and it is Hamas who can stop firing the rockets and Israel would in turn stop attacking targets in Gaza. To put the onus of stopping the fighting on Israel is ridiculous. They are merely doing what any nation that comes under attack would do, which is to defend itself, and any government that did not respond would not be in power very long.
The White House on Friday urged Israeli’s and Palestinian’s to spare “innocents” from attacks, but said it expected that Israel would defend itself from rockets launched at it by the Islamist movement Hamas. You think, why make any statement if it is going to be a nonsensicalstatement like that, If “innocents” are injured in attacks by Israel it is only by accident as they attempt to stop the people firing the rockets, whereas the “innocents” being attacked by Hamas are intentionally targeted.
No matter what happens it seems that Israel is always supposed to be the ones to stop fighting first, which makes absolutely no sense when rockets continue to rain down on their citizens. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas is obviously not strong enough to force Hamas to stop attacking Israel with the rockets.
An Israeli woman was killed on Monday by a rocket and Israel warned Hamas ,of which Prime Minister Ismail Haniya , is a prominent member that neither he nor any of the Hamas leadership were immune from attack.
They should in fact be primary targets as they allow the militants to continue assaulting Israel with the rockets. Perhaps if some of the leadership was killed it might encourage them to commit to a ceasefire with Israel.
We should not issue statements like the one mentioned above from the White House which almost equates what each side is doing as the same. There should be no doubt in anyone’s mind that we stand with our friends. And Israel is a friend that has taken a great deal of punishment from many of the nation’s of the world over the years. They have had many of their innocent citizen’s killed by militants, suicide bombers, etc.,. America has long stood by them in their time of need and we should not be giving anything to the militants in the form of words or encouragement that their cause is just, or in anyway makes them doubt our resolve to stand by Israel.
There are innocents on both sides, but while Israel is defending itself, the “innocents” on the Palestinian side allow the militants to use them as human shields, and many actively support Hamas, so they bring the death and destruction on themselves by this misguided support for the terrorists in their midst.
I hope Abbas can convince Hamas to stop firing their rockets, but until they stop Israel must be allowed to protect its people from this reign of terror and we need to give them our full support.