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| Middle East |
| Fatah doesn't know whether to spit or go blind... |
| 2002-11-13 |
| By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH, Associated Press Writer The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, a militia responsible for scores of attacks on Israelis, is increasingly operating beyond the control of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, group members said. We said that, too. Didn't even have to interrupt our day's rocket science... Israeli crackdowns have left the remaining bands of gunmen even more cut off from each other, while a shortage of funds has prompted some Al Aqsa members to turn to the Islamic Jihad group for funding attacks. The latest trend suggests the West Bank will become even more volatile, and that it will become increasingly difficult for the Palestinian Authority to deliver on promises to halt violence. Before, they didn't want to. Now they can't. That's called irrelevance... The disarray became apparent after a shooting attack by an Al Aqsa gunman Sunday that killed five Israelis, including a mother and her two little boys, in Kibbutz Metzer, a communal farm near the West Bank. Fatah quickly distanced itself from the attack, which violates the movement's new stance against attacks in Israel. Arafat, the Palestinian Authority leader, ordered an investigation. Actually, he set up a committee. A committee is a creature with 12 stomachs and no brain. In America, we sometimes call them Blue Ribbon Panels... But an Al Aqsa spokesman in the crowded and unruly Balata refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Nablus, defended the shooting Tuesday, saying it was meant to draw attention to the militia's difficulties. "The Fatah leadership ignored us and left us on the street, but what we did Sunday, we turned the tables on Fatah," said the spokesman, who gave his name only as Abu Mujahid. "We carried out this attack to let every one of them hear our voice and satisfy our needs." "Yeah, buddy! We really showed them! Now their ass is really in a sling..." He said the group wanted funding resumed from Arafat's Fatah movement and to share in the movement's decision-making. If you go out and kill a mother and her babies, and bump off a couple other guys while making your getaway, I'm still not going to be willing to give you an allowance and listen to your wise counsel. I dunno why. Guess I'm just contrary... Underscoring the chaos, there are apparent divisions between brothers. Nimer Naefa, a Fatah activist, denounced Sunday's attack as "disgraceful," saying it would turn public opinion against the Palestinians. His brother, Mohammed, is a 24-year-old Al Aqsa leader from the West Bank town of Tulkarem whom Israel accuses of orchestrating the attack. I don't think anybody's neck snapped while making that public opinion turn, did it? Thanks to Steve for the link! |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |