Daily Alert Archives

Fatah Alive and Kicking

[Ha'aretz] Avi Issacharoff and Amos Harel - Gaza resident Abu Awad, 43, says, "Before the recent events, Hamas felt like a superpower in Gaza - that no one could challenge its strength. But now the senior Hamas people and the people of the operational force are afraid to walk in the street alone. If at the beginning of the fighting they were talking about a day of victory over the heretics, today they are aware of Fatah's strength and the need for unity. This is a fundamental change in the political culture of Hamas." According to Abu Awad, Fatah demonstrated surprising unity this week in Gaza. "Minutes after [Abbas'] speech on Saturday, there were thousands of Fatah supporters in the streets. They weren't hiding behind masks. Many of us in Gaza thought that Fatah already had one foot in the grave. But after years when Fatah didn't have any presence in the streets, they have come back....In Gaza now a balance of terror between the camps has developed." But S., a journalist, notes, "The war is far from ending. The height of it is still ahead of us. On the military plane, there is no doubt that Hamas will win. It has had a total of just two killed, as opposed to nine for Fatah."
2006-12-22 01:00:00
Full Article