(Hudson Institute-New York) Khaled Abu Toameh - Gaza is now swarming with scores of Islamic fundamentalist groups who are leading the Palestinians toward the abyss. If Israel repeats the same mistake and withdraws from any more territory unilaterally, Hamas, the Iranians and al-Qaeda-inspired groups will be sitting in the suburbs of Jerusalem and on hilltops overlooking Tel Aviv beaches. The last time Abbas received control of an area, in 2005, he ran away, handing it over to Hamas and its allies. Israel's unilateral withdrawal sent the wrong message to the Palestinians - namely that the Jews ran away because of the suicide bombings and rockets. Many Palestinians gave Hamas credit for driving Israel out of Gaza through violence.
2010-04-30 08:59:28Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive