(Washington Times) Editorial - The anarchy and chaos that have engulfed Gaza since Israel uprooted its settlements and withdrew its military has been a very ugly jolt of reality. Gaza is coming to look more like Afghanistan under Taliban rule than a viable democracy. The dilemma is the latest example of what has been taking place since Rabin and Arafat signed the first Oslo agreement 12 years ago this month: Israel makes tangible concessions, ceding territory captured in defensive wars to the Palestinians. Arafat or Abbas promises to take action to prevent terrorism and anti-Jewish incitement, but that almost never happens. Instead, the Palestinians pocket the Israeli concessions but fail to exercise their security responsibilities and permit the incitement to flourish. Through his inaction, Abbas has permitted Hamas to become the most powerful political movement in Gaza. Judging from the Nuremberg-like rallies that group has been staging in the streets of Gaza, Hamas sounds like it intends to plunge the Palestinians into another war against Israel.
2005-09-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive