Is Hamas one?
In the Jerusalem Post today (Sunday) the main headline is "Hamas turf war paralyzes talks." But, it makes no practical difference if it is a small offshoot of Hamas that holds the kidnapped IDF soldier, or if they are under the control of the Hamas Government of the PA in Gaza or of the Hamas Military Wing (Izzadin al-Kassem) in Damascus. It's as abstract as whether or not Sinn Fein was independent of the IRA or a part of it. This separation was put into doubt when it was revealed that all the time that the Sinn Fein leadership from Gerry Adams down were pretending to be purely "political" they had equivalent positions in the IRA (a terrorist army). Now that the IRA has seemingly disarmed and foregone the "armed struggle," the point may be moot, but it shows how irrelevant such questions can be.
It has been suggested that the PM of the PA Hamas Government, Ismail Haniyeh, has no real weight in Hamas and was chosen for this position as a consensus candidate and that he is purely a figurehead. Nevertheless the cast-iron clause in international law is that governments are responsible for the activities that take place on their territories, particularly if those activities impinge on the sovereignty of another country. This is all the legal framework that Israel needs to go after the assets of the PA Government and its members, whether or not they are terrorists. So Pres. Abbas and the Hamas Government are ultimately responsible for the attack on the IDF at Kerem Shalom and for the safety of the captive soldier Cpl. Shalit.
It is impossible that in a small place like Gaza with a small organization such as Hamas for an operation that took months to prepare (digging the tunnel) and to plan and then execute, that the echelons of the Government did not know about this action. But, it is another case of "plausible deniability," you do it and we'll pretend that we know nothing about it. This is especially true while the Hamas Government were trying to pretend to be responsible in order to obtain international funding. But, even if the action were planned and carried out by the so-called military wing of Hamas, they are not two separate parties or even sections of a party, they are one terrorist organization, which like any other has groups of differing individuals within it. But, there is no doubt that the expatriate wing of Hamas, with their HQ in Damascus, is part of the driving force of extremism.
Khaled Mashaal has long been known as a terrorist leader. Why does he live in Damascus? Because he was targeted in Amman by Israeli intelligence in 1999, and was pierced by a poison dart. King Hussein at that time protested to Israel and threatened to abrogate the Israel-Jordan peace treaty. After Israel provided the antidote, Jordan released the two Israeli agents it had arrested, and then by agreement expelled Mashaal. He toured various countries and then selected Syria as the most convenient for his terrorist activities, that are principally supported by Iran. So one could say that there are two centers of power in Hamas, one in Gaza (they are less powerful on the West Bank) and one in Syria, and that both contribute to the overall terrorist activities and strategy of Hamas.
Two latest developments; Egypt has announced that unless Hamas gives it a viable compromise position by tonight, other than demanding the release of 1,000 prisoners that Israel will not even consider, then they will stop their role as negotiator. It is well known that PM Olmert has held back the IDF from further attacks into Gazan territory to allow these negotiations to run their course. That deadline is very near. Also, to counter the possibility that a "humanitarian crisis" might in fact occur in Gaza, Defense Minister Peretz has allowed the importation of food and gasoline into Gaza via the Karni crossing for the next 4 days.
So far in the IDF attacks into Gaza three terrorists have been killed and no civilians. But, expect the depth of the attacks to increase after tonite if Cpl. Shalit is not released or a mechanism acceptable to Israel is not forthcoming. Shalit was described as alive and well by a Hamas Govt. spokesman and having received medical attention (how does he know?). But, so far the towns where Shalit is likely held, Rafah and Khan Yunis, both hives of anti-Israel extremism, have not been attacked, and neither has Beit Hanun from where hundreds of rockets have been launched into Israel. Expect Israel to surround the southern towns and to invade the northern towns looking for rocket workshops and terrorists.
While the immediate goals of these attacks are obvious, to release Shalit and to stop the rocket bombardment, Israel is also secondarily accomplishing the degradation of the Hamas Government, which is in a state of war with Israel, and the destruction of the terrorist infrastructure.
If Cpl. Shalit is found dead or is killed, expect serious attacks on Damascus to kill Mashaal and those who were involved in the planning of this and other operations. It is even conceivable that Israel will attack Syrian targets, even up to and including Pres. Assad, if they have the go-ahead from the US Administration. There is no doubt that Syria has been complicit in terrorist infiltration to Iraq, to fight the US forces there, as well as being an agent of Iran in fomenting trouble in Lebanon, Iraq, Israel and Palestine. Only yesterday Pres. Bush in a speech blamed Assad for allowing Hamas to use Syria as a staging ground for planning terrorist operations. If they do not give up Shalit or if he is killed, the die will be cast.
It has been suggested that the PM of the PA Hamas Government, Ismail Haniyeh, has no real weight in Hamas and was chosen for this position as a consensus candidate and that he is purely a figurehead. Nevertheless the cast-iron clause in international law is that governments are responsible for the activities that take place on their territories, particularly if those activities impinge on the sovereignty of another country. This is all the legal framework that Israel needs to go after the assets of the PA Government and its members, whether or not they are terrorists. So Pres. Abbas and the Hamas Government are ultimately responsible for the attack on the IDF at Kerem Shalom and for the safety of the captive soldier Cpl. Shalit.
It is impossible that in a small place like Gaza with a small organization such as Hamas for an operation that took months to prepare (digging the tunnel) and to plan and then execute, that the echelons of the Government did not know about this action. But, it is another case of "plausible deniability," you do it and we'll pretend that we know nothing about it. This is especially true while the Hamas Government were trying to pretend to be responsible in order to obtain international funding. But, even if the action were planned and carried out by the so-called military wing of Hamas, they are not two separate parties or even sections of a party, they are one terrorist organization, which like any other has groups of differing individuals within it. But, there is no doubt that the expatriate wing of Hamas, with their HQ in Damascus, is part of the driving force of extremism.
Khaled Mashaal has long been known as a terrorist leader. Why does he live in Damascus? Because he was targeted in Amman by Israeli intelligence in 1999, and was pierced by a poison dart. King Hussein at that time protested to Israel and threatened to abrogate the Israel-Jordan peace treaty. After Israel provided the antidote, Jordan released the two Israeli agents it had arrested, and then by agreement expelled Mashaal. He toured various countries and then selected Syria as the most convenient for his terrorist activities, that are principally supported by Iran. So one could say that there are two centers of power in Hamas, one in Gaza (they are less powerful on the West Bank) and one in Syria, and that both contribute to the overall terrorist activities and strategy of Hamas.
Two latest developments; Egypt has announced that unless Hamas gives it a viable compromise position by tonight, other than demanding the release of 1,000 prisoners that Israel will not even consider, then they will stop their role as negotiator. It is well known that PM Olmert has held back the IDF from further attacks into Gazan territory to allow these negotiations to run their course. That deadline is very near. Also, to counter the possibility that a "humanitarian crisis" might in fact occur in Gaza, Defense Minister Peretz has allowed the importation of food and gasoline into Gaza via the Karni crossing for the next 4 days.
So far in the IDF attacks into Gaza three terrorists have been killed and no civilians. But, expect the depth of the attacks to increase after tonite if Cpl. Shalit is not released or a mechanism acceptable to Israel is not forthcoming. Shalit was described as alive and well by a Hamas Govt. spokesman and having received medical attention (how does he know?). But, so far the towns where Shalit is likely held, Rafah and Khan Yunis, both hives of anti-Israel extremism, have not been attacked, and neither has Beit Hanun from where hundreds of rockets have been launched into Israel. Expect Israel to surround the southern towns and to invade the northern towns looking for rocket workshops and terrorists.
While the immediate goals of these attacks are obvious, to release Shalit and to stop the rocket bombardment, Israel is also secondarily accomplishing the degradation of the Hamas Government, which is in a state of war with Israel, and the destruction of the terrorist infrastructure.
If Cpl. Shalit is found dead or is killed, expect serious attacks on Damascus to kill Mashaal and those who were involved in the planning of this and other operations. It is even conceivable that Israel will attack Syrian targets, even up to and including Pres. Assad, if they have the go-ahead from the US Administration. There is no doubt that Syria has been complicit in terrorist infiltration to Iraq, to fight the US forces there, as well as being an agent of Iran in fomenting trouble in Lebanon, Iraq, Israel and Palestine. Only yesterday Pres. Bush in a speech blamed Assad for allowing Hamas to use Syria as a staging ground for planning terrorist operations. If they do not give up Shalit or if he is killed, the die will be cast.
posted by Jack Cohen at 9:06 AM
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