Palestinian violence

The assassination on Tuesday in Gaza of Musa Arafat, Yasser Arafat's cousin
and former Chief of Gaza Security, may mark the beginning of a civil war in
Gaza and a break down of what law and order there is there. Approximately
100 hooded men attacked his heavily defended villa and there was a fierce
gunfight. The so-called "Popular Resistance Committees" claimed
responsibility and also claimed to be holding his son Manhul, who was also
reported to be dead. These Committees started during the first intifada,
before the PA was established, and for a while coordinated the resistance
groups. They claimed that they were carrying out God's work in killing
Arafat because he was so corrupt. Mahmud Abbas had removed Musa Arafat
from his position and demoted him to security advisor. He now claims that
they will investigate the murders.
At the same time a mob of Palestinian youth was allowed to approach close
to Neve Dekalim while the IDF is busy in the last throes of the
disengagement, and tried to attack the soldiers. The IDF soldiers fired
warning shots at them and when they did not disperse shot at them and one
was killed. The PA police on the spot did nothing to stop them,
notwithstanding an agreement between the IDF and the PA to prevent such
attacks. Since the Palestinians use violence to resolve all their problems
and since they never keep their agreements, it is necessary for the IDF to
be prepared.
A few days ago an anti-Christian "pogrom" took place in the small Christian
Arab town of Taibe, that is in the PA. The ostensible cause for the riot
was a friendship between a Muslim woman from a village near Taibe and a
Christian man. Her family forced the woman to take poison and then buried
her body without notifying the authorities. Then a mob was organized that
went to Taibe and attacked Christians indiscriminately, beating people and
burning homes and stores. No PA police intervened. This is far from the
first such anti-Christian mob that has carried out an attack, which explains
why the Christian Arab population of the PA and Israel feels itself under
attack and is rapidly decreasing.
Also on Tuesday there was an explosion in an apartment block in Gaza that
killed five and wounded many more. The PA announced that this was a Hamas
bomb factory housed in a residential building, but Hamas accused the PA of
"collaboration" and attributed the explosion to an Israeli attack, although
none was reported at the time.
The feeling is that if the Palestinians use such violence against each
other, what would they do to us, if they could. The whole situation makes a
mockery of the so-called democratic process in the PA. Although the PA is
currently receiving m$50 in emergency aid from the US, the official PA line
is that the US is "an enemy," and this incitement is repeated many times in
sermons in mosques by Imams employed by the PA, even in the presence of
Pres. Abbas, and on the official PA radio.
A similar process of assassination, insurrection and mob violence is
manifested in Iraq, and is unlikely to stop any time soon. The superficial
attempt by Pres. Mubarak to make his re-election in Egypt after 24 years
look like a democratic process is quite pathetic. How can anyone ever trust
these people? That's why we must do what is in our own interests and as far as possible disassociate ourselves from them.