[Ha'aretz] Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff - A civil war is raging in Gaza - and the Islamists have the upper hand. The old Palestinian dream of a real state is fading fast. The speech that President George Bush is scheduled to deliver on June 24 (the fifth anniversary of his speech laying out a two-state vision for the Middle East) will have to undergo substantial revision. Hamas' takeover of Gaza, which seems closer than ever, is destined to split the territories into two entities that are politically and even culturally separate: Hamastan (Gaza) and Fatahstan (West Bank). Anyone in Israel still contemplating the question of a Palestinian partner might also need to do some rethinking. In Gaza, at least, it seems there is nobody left for Israel to talk to. This time, Hamas apparently believes it is on the verge of a historic victory. On Monday it announced a call-up of all its militants and began implementing an orderly plan of action whose stated object is to eliminate Fatah in Gaza.
2007-06-13 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive