[Asharq Alawsat-UK] Tariq al-Homayed - Gaza is following in the footsteps of Afghanistan with regard to an abundance of arms, poverty, and division between one armed group and another, who are more than prepared to fight, leading to even greater divisions. The transformation of Gaza into Afghanistan is a future whose first casualty will be the Palestinians and their cause, which has been shattered by Hamas. The first thing we must do is stop this nonsense of saying that Hamas came to power through elections. Those who come to power via elections do not have the right to be selective with regard to agreements made by the legitimate authority - the very same authority which pushed for the elections which Hamas won. Those who call for elections must respect all previous agreements. Hamas is a very real danger to the Palestinian cause. They have already blown the chance of creating a Palestinian state thanks to their division from the legitimate authority of Mahmoud Abbas. We have yet to see a reasonable trend within Hamas which appreciates the consequences of governing Gaza. So we must take a decisive stand against Hamas, and for a simple reason: the boat which they are drilling holes in will not only drown them, but drown all of us, and we will all be the victims. We cannot allow Hamas to fragmentize the Palestinians as they wish, or to plot with Iran as they see fit. The writer is the editor-in-chief of Asharq Alawsat.
2008-10-15 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive