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| Middle East |
| Trouble in Fatah paradise... |
| 2002-05-28 |
| The rising number of attacks by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, a radical group linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, point to growing divisions within the faction on the key issue of confronting the Israeli occupation. The Brigades have ignored ceasefire calls by Arafat but analysts said the Palestinian leader does not have the power to stop the attacks. "The Brigades may be an offshoot of Fatah but it's not regimented and under full Fatah control," noted Palestinian MP Hanan Ashrawi. "It's a homegrown phenomenon that emerged as result of Israel's deadly attacks. It is localized and divided in several branches," she added. Yasser probably has about the same amount of control over al-Aqsa as Perv has over his jihadis. Arafat publicly called on Palestinian groups to stop all attacks against Israeli civilians on May 9, and Fatah condemned the recent spate of suicide bombings, denouncing them as "terrorist." On Friday, Arafat's faction went as far as distancing itself from its armed offshoot. "Fatah has no link with the statement published by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, nor with the parties and individuals who claim to belong to it," it said. "Wudn't me. Make them stay in the same room without a shower eating sardines for four weeks next time!" Commenting on the growing dissension inside Fatah, political analyst Ghassan al-Khatib said: "Fatah is not a party but a movement. It's not the first time that different views are expressed." "This isn't a political party! It's an argument!" Friday's communique came "as result of a sharp difference of views between Al-Aqsa and Fatah, so the difference had to be made public, but also because Fatah has committed itself to the West to fight terrorism," he added. And al-Aqsa has committed itself to being terrorism. Somehow that doesn't make any sense... Ashrawi said for her part that the disagreement is indicative of the fact "a debate is taking place publicly and behind doors." She said she was confident that the Brigades would end up heeding Arafat's call. About the time all the Jews are dead, maybe... Hours before Monday's bombing — adding to the current confusion or possibly to revive hopes for a concerted position — a Brigades spokesman told the London-based Arabic newspaper al-Hayat that attacks would stop. The man, who identified himself as Abu Mujahid said his group "respects the decisions of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. "We respect at this juncture halting martyr operations in Israel to give a chance to political efforts undertaken by the Palestinian leadership," he said. "But as long as we have all this dynamite stockpiled, what the hell?" |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |