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| Israel-Palestine |
| Al-Qaeda gains Palestinian foothold |
| 2005-05-22 |
| AL-QAEDA has established a foothold in Palestine with a new militant group based in Gaza formed by extremists who have become disillusioned with Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Amid the biggest flare-up of violence in Gaza since a ceasefire was declared three months ago by Palestinians and Israelis, the Jerusalem Post has quoted unnamed Palestinian Authority security officials as saying that a new group called Jundallah or 'Allah's Brigade' had links to the terrorist organisation headed by Osama bin Laden. The new terror group consists mainly of former Hamas and Islamic Jihad members who believe these two militant groups have become too moderate. It has close ties to al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Khaled Abu Toameh, a journalist for the Jerusalem Post, Israel's oldest and most respected English-language daily, has interviewed PA officials who said the establishment of Jundallah confirmed suspicions that al-Qaeda was attempting to gain a foothold in Gaza ahead of the planned Israeli withdrawal beginning on August 15. Israel is to evacuate all 21 settlements in the Gaza Strip and four of 120 in the West Bank under prime minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan. The PA officials were quoted as saying that Jundallah gunmen launched their first attack on Israeli soldiers near Rafah in Gaza last week. Four soldiers were wounded in the incident. Abu Abdullah al-Khattab, who identified himself as the spokesman for Jundallah in Gaza, denied his group was linked to al-Qaeda but hinted that as well as Israeli targets, the group was planning to target US interests in the region. "Our people will not remain idle in the face of American crimes in Muslim countries," he said. "Soon everyone will see operations [against the US] that will make all the Muslims delighted." He also said Jundallah would not honour any unofficial truce with Israel. But on the record, PA officials were yesterday reluctant to confirm links between Jundallah and al-Qaeda, with senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, casting doubt on ties. "It is very unlikely that al-Qaeda would be operating in Gaza," he told the Scotland on Sunday. A spokesman for the Palestinian interior minister, Nasser Youssef, said he could not comment on the report. But analysts say public confirmation of al-Qaeda links would place the PA in a difficult position since it would mean they would face even greater international pressure to take action against militants who are also closely tied to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. As well as confronting the possibility of violent protests from Jewish settlers who refuse to leave, Israeli officials fear Palestinian militants will step up violence in the lead-up and during the pullout. The emergence of a new militant group in Gaza, especially one with reported links to al-Qaeda, was not surprising, said Ra'anan Gissin, an aide to prime minister Sharon. "There is some evidence of links between militants in Gaza and al-Qaeda," he told the Scotland on Sunday. "We are watching and following such developments very closely but for us, local terrorist groups are just as dangerous." It is not the first time al-Qaeda's name has been connected with Palestinian militants. In February 2003, an Israeli military court sentenced a Palestinian man to 27 years in prison for training in Afghanistan with bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. A member of Hamas, Nabil Oukal was arrested in 2000 and allegedly told Israeli interrogators he was recruited by al-Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan to form a network in the Palestinian territories. "While this information about Jundallah has yet to be confirmed, there's no doubt that al-Qaeda has tried and continues to try and recruit members of other organisations such as Hamas or Islamic Jihad," said Dr Ely Karmon, a senior researcher in international terrorism at Israel's International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism. "It is a great concern for Israel if al-Qaeda does get a foothold in the Palestinian territories since with al-Qaeda, all bets are off. Unlike Hamas and other local groups who face direct consequences once they carry out a terrorist operation, al-Qaeda are ready to sacrifice many Muslims to further their cause." In the meantime, both Palestinian and Israeli officials yesterday stressed they would do what they could to maintain the fragile ceasefire after Israeli forces killed a Palestinian gunman during an assault on the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in Gaza on Friday. The violence occurred within hours of Israel's defence chief ordering the army to use "all necessary means" to stop militants firing a barrage of mortars and rockets at Israeli targets. Following the clash, Israeli soldiers prevented dozens of Jewish settlers marching into the neighbouring village of Dir al-Balah where the attack had originated, to protest the shelling. Hamas claimed joint responsibility along with the Fatah-linked al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees for Friday's attack. Hamas said it remained committed to the ceasefire but was avenging the deaths of two of its fighters in the Gaza Strip last week. "We are doing whatever we can do to sustain the ceasefire," Erekat said. Israeli officials believe the surge in violence is part of Hamas's strategy directly to challenge the moderate president Abbas in the run-up to his meeting on Thursday with President George Bush in Washington. Gissin also said Israel had no intention of "escalating the current situation but the Palestinian Authority must understand it is up to them to end the violence". |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #14 LOL... G'nite, Ol' Warped 'n Twisted... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2005-05-22 22:41 |
| #13 "Every word." Ouch! Okay, that does it, you're ganging up on me, I'm outta here, lol! I'll go watch some more Cowboy Bebop episodes. Waaay Cool. And maybe Suicide Circle later, if my mood can take it, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-22 22:21 |
| #12 My back? Hurt? Never-- except during flareups every few days, of course... |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2005-05-22 22:17 |
| #11 Or hurt, either. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-05-22 22:13 |
| #10 I haven't any idea about titanium leeching -- my last au pair had a titanium plate bolted to her arm bone after she broke it so decisively while skiing. But, it being Germany, it was only on loan, and she had to go back a year later to return it. ;-) They also offered her a nursing job. But if you say the other would be better, I certainly don't have the knowledge to argue. As for Twain and manners, he lived at a time when manners were used as a tool of class warfare. In such a context his statement is perfectly true. But where manners are used to make life go more smoothly and comfortably, and as a tool for self discipline, much like your own Eight Rules, .com, I see no harm in them, and much that is good. And I would contend that using manners as an excuse for the outright lie is rarely good manners. But it's clear that you are perfectly capable of good manners when you choose. And if that ex-wife of yours taught you otherwise, just because yours differ on the details from hers, she should be ashamed. Dave, that is the difference between -- in my opinion -- civilized and uncivilized. Except that I hope your back doesn't hyrt. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-05-22 22:11 |
| #9 What TW said. Every word. I've had a feeling lately, growing steadily in the past several weeks: a stomach-gnawing, sick-making premonition that Islam will prove to be incorrigible. I suppose we'll continue this "Middle East Democracy" thing of Bush's until his term is over; but after that, I think the idea will die. And if Islam then manages to pull off another mass-casualty terrorist attack on U.S. soil... [SHUDDER] |
| Posted by: Dave D. 2005-05-22 22:06 |
| #8 Lol! Old Warped and Twisted, that's me. I'd send you a nice titanium mug for your tea, but doesn't it have a problem with leeching? I think one of the inert plastics or a porcelin-lined steel is your best bet, though far less elegant and befitting of a lady, sorry. ;-) BTW, you may enjoy this... it salves my wounded pride, heh: "Truth is good manners; manners are a fiction." -Twain |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-22 21:52 |
| #7 You're a dear, .com. In your own warped and twisted way. I am honestly terrified that Israel will spend too much time looking for those 100 good men, and not go to full out war until it is too late. I am furious that these selfish, vicious romantics (in love with the romance of rebellion and violence), drunk on the words of their religion, drugged on a twisted vision of Paradise, are going to force us to fry 'em up. I think that if it comes to that point, I will feel no more guilt than about the firebombing of Dresden, et al or the atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Because if we do so, it will be because it was the most efficient option to end this unwanted war. I guess I'm a Jacksonian after all. And a furious one. Which doesn't go with the ladylike calm I strive for. Oh, dear, I think I broke the cup. Next time it might be wiser to give me a sturdy titanium mug rather than the pretty porcelain when I'm in a mood. I do apologize. You all are so nice to me, and I'm dumping like this. *wipes eyes* But at least my back feels a bit better, and the garden is less obviously full of weeds, at least for the moment. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-05-22 21:36 |
| #6 tw - Of course, dear. You need but ask. :-) Meanwhile, while the aspirin is kicking in with the tea's assistance, I'll second that wipe them out sentiment... I firmly believe that it is intuitively obvious to the casual observer that the point of contact between the civilized world and Islam that will never ever have peace - until there is only one left alive, is Israel - PaleoLand. The Hate Machine was perfected, if not invented, there. It has reached such levels of barbarity and insanity as to boggle the modern mind. There will be no peace until there is no more Islam in contact with Israel. And the remote versions of the Paleo Hate Machine, such as the MM's, must be dealt with in the same no quarter manner - or else Israel will cease to exist. Just one nuke of sufficient size and placed right to take advantage of prevailing winds, etc, could do it. There is no second chance in this "game", so I say pre-empt the bitch and take care of business now, while there is still a civilization in Israel to save. And, when the smoke clears and the other Hate Machines see that Israel has been spared again, and blame the US for it, they'll go into overdrive to commit suicide, too. Will they learn from Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran? Lol - are you kidding me? 1400 yrs says no, don't waste your time. So taking the showdown of the Hate Machine in Paleoland, now joined by the Professional Wahhabi Hate Machine: AlQ, and the growing remote-kill capability of the MM Hate Machine, all converging upon a nexus in time, is it really difficult to see the moment of truth come, the correct actions taken, and the cascade begin? I have little difficulty seeing Saudi and the rest of the GCC falling into the mess - and losing forever. How did I get to "fry 'em up"? F**kin Duh. They'll make the choice for us. Afterwards, we'll prolly (they may not want to miss out on the fun) still have PakiWakiLand to deal with. They'll be apoplectic, no? They can nuke their neighbors, no? How far beyond that? Not far enough, methinks. So they'll be spittin and screaming and trying to figure out how to shoehorn a nuke the size of a VW into a tanker or something. But we'll know that, and we've heard that there are US personnel in a position to, um, prevent a PakiWaki spasm of nuko-o-mania. But should they gear up and start flinging feces, well, if you were India would you take the chance none were coming your way? Nah, me neither. So PakiWakiLand, unless sanity suddenly breaks out, will likely solve itself by being defanged or turned into smokin' holes. I favor the latter - another reservoir of insanity wiped out sounds good to me. Indo/Malay/African Islam? Small potatoes who blow up hotels and bars and each other - but they'll need to go, too. They're only murderers and thugs and we need no vectors for this pathogen left alive - anywhere. No, to safeguard against the day when they start exporting, and exploding, again, it would be better to finish the goddamned job and get it over with. No point in handing it off to our grandchildren to do over again. But that's just me. No strong feelings about it. ;-) How're you feeling, tw? Better, yet? |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-22 20:45 |
| #5 Finish the security fence, declare the P.A. and independent nation, and the next time one of the terror groups does something (doesn't really matter which one, they are just different flavours of ice cream), announce that as an act of war and wipe them out. (Sorry, I pulled something in my back while working in the garden, and now I'm cranky. .com, will you please make me a cup of tea, and say there, there to me?) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-05-22 19:33 |
| #4 well if Al Q declared itself it would be an interesting thing in contradistinction to Hamas and IJ, Al Q opposes elections, opposes rule by secular moslems (I think most of the Palestinian Parliment is secular - you can tell because they wear western style suits or a mix of suits and arab clothes). |
| Posted by: mhw 2005-05-22 14:02 |
| #3 Coal to Newcastle? |
| Posted by: gromgoru 2005-05-22 13:40 |
| #2 AL-QAEDA has established a foothold in Palestine... That's like saying there are weeds in my front lawn. |
| Posted by: Raj 2005-05-22 10:20 |
| #1 Gaza. The new |
| Posted by: .com 2005-05-22 01:04 |