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Israel-Palestine
Gaza Could Become Al Qaida Sanctuary
2005-02-03
Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could turn the Palestinian area into a sanctuary for Al Qaida, a new report said.
A larger version of Ein el-Hellhole, perhaps?
The Jerusalem-based Institute for Contemporary Affairs said Al Qaida could fill the vacuum left by the death of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and the departure of Israel from the Gaza Strip.
I'm making the assumption the writers don't want them to depart...
The report envisioned the prospect of a Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip and its invitation to other Islamic insurgency groups, such as Al Qaida. "The eventual takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas certainly cannot be ruled out, given the enormous political clout it already possesses and the relative decline of the Fatah movement in recent years," the report, authored by [Res.] Maj. Gen. Yaakov Amidror, a former military intelligence chief, said. "Even if the Hamas takeover is partial and Hamas only shares power with Fatah in Gaza, the political behavior of a post-withdrawal Palestinian government will have to be very carefully monitored." Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in October 2001, Al Qaida has sought sanctuaries in Iraq, Mali, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. The report said the ideological affinity between Hamas and Al Qaida would convert the Gaza Strip into a base for Osama Bin Laden's movement.
Posted by:Fred

#8  SPoD - I'll take what's behind Door #2. :-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut   2005-02-03 7:29:03 PM  

#7  B-A-R I go along with your plan. I really think the Paleo need to be given all the chances they can to get their act together with out any external influence or intervention from anyone as the only caveat. Once they totally screw that up if they attack Israel then the land should be cleared of them or they can die where they stand.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2005-02-03 6:28:29 PM  

#6  This could be the opportunity to decide this issue once and for all. The Israelis complete their security fence, pull their forces out of all the disputed territories, and the Paleos give the self-governing thing a go. If and when the Paleos really phuque things up and Hezbollah, IJ, and/or AQ end up being the absolute ruling authority in the West bank and/or Gaza and begin launching attacks anew on Israel, then the IDF goes in with guns blazing, mows down all the terrorists in sight, and banishes forever the idea of a nation named Palestine.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-02-03 5:45:19 PM  

#5  J187: It may well have been about shielding the leadership, but anyway, why should they be shielded?

I agree that this is a false distinction. The IRA may have been the originator of this idea.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2005-02-03 5:28:41 PM  

#4  Zhang Fei-Do you think the movers and shakers in the EU on Israel/Palestine policy (our "partners' in the Peace Plan) make that fine a distinction, in terms of their pet causes? Does Israel?

It may well have been about shielding the leadership, but anyway, why should they be shielded?
Posted by: Jules 187   2005-02-03 4:50:00 PM  

#3  J187: One more reason why the notion that a party (Hamas, etc.) can have both political and military wings should go the way of the dodo.

The distinction was always about shielding the leadership - generally referred to as being from the political wing - from arrest or military measures.
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2005-02-03 4:44:47 PM  

#2  One more reason why the notion that a party (Hamas, etc.) can have both political and military wings should go the way of the dodo. Define these groups as terrorist groups, period.
Posted by: Jules 187   2005-02-03 4:29:37 PM  

#1  Hizb'Allah gets its money from Iran. If Hamas has problems getting funding, and they should have problems, given their dismal record of success, then Hizb'Allah should be able to take over. Just with money and muscle. They will be in Gaza and they are in southern Lebanon and Syria. The Paleos are tools. I see this development as a real threat to Israel, as these terrorists will disburse themselves among the masses of Paleos, using them as shields, so to speak.
Posted by: Alaska Paul   2005-02-03 4:26:37 PM  

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