One lesson learned from the insurgency in Iraq is the importance of "street power", or the ability to put your soldiers or fighters in the streets, where they can effectively cow or manipulate the population. The importance of street power is becoming more and more obvious in Gaza, as reported by Reuters:
Thousands of armed Hamas militants marched through Gaza City on Sunday, defying efforts to remove unauthorised weapons from the streets just days after the Palestinian president vowed not to tolerate armed chaos.About 10,000 members of the Islamic faction, cheered by tens of thousands, carried assault rifles, rockets and anti-tank missiles as they paraded in the group's largest armed show of force in the territory in years.
The demonstration came a week after Israel completed a military withdrawal from the coastal Gaza Strip in a move praised by Washington as a possible springboard to peacemaking.
Hamas spokesman Mushir al-Masri called the demonstration a message to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon "that thousands of Qassam men will remain and not disband", using the name of Hamas's military wing.
Masri said Hamas would continue to aim its weapons at Israel "until the liberation of all of Palestine", alluding to both Israel and the occupied West Bank where Israel has vowed to keep large Jewish settlement blocs.
Hamas poses a political challenge to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who vowed in a speech last Tuesday he would not tolerate the "chaos of weapons". The Palestinian Authority has also sought to ban public displays of arms.
The West, desperate for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has allowed itself to believe that the PA is an effective governing body. It simply is not. No matter how much Western aid is thrown into the effort, it will continue to disappear into a black hole of corruption and mismanagement. Meanwhile, the PA's failure to provide basic accoutrements to the larger population has lead to the ascension of Hamas, which can put 10,000 fighters into Gaza communities seemingly at will. Mahmoud Abbas' promises, while pleasing to the Western ear, ring increasingly hollow on the Palestinian street, where it matters.
I expect Abbas to be out of the picture completely in about a month, either by assasination or resignation or complete collapse of the PA. Then Dhimmi Rice, our overbaked rice souffle, will have some explaining to do. Who gets all this money we have committed? What happened to the money we just sent ($50 M)? Do we fund a terrorist group to feed the poor pathetic pitiful 'just want some justice' Gazans? Oh Dhimmi Rice, just once, prove you are not a 'useful idiot' for the Islamists. Just cut off the money, shut the jizya pipeline down, and let's see what happens.
Palestine.
When I say that word, the only thought that crosses my mind is "suicide bomber".
Those who think that Palestinians are capable of ruling themselves are plainly insane.
They cannot control their "urge to jihad", and Israel will surely pay the price of islamic hatred.
I googled pictures of American children and Muslim children earlier today; American children are laughing, happy, in school settings with butterflys and flowers on the walls.
Muslim children were carrying guns, frowning, fearful, withdrawn. Their young girls had their heads covered, their piercing eyes revealing little.
The children always tell the story.
Visiting this site and DhimmiWatch helps keep me sane. Unfortunately, inspite of the fact that people saw the buldings burning they still don't believe that the house is on fire. They think that many of us here are exagerrating the threat that Islam poses to all of us in "Dar-Al-Harb". Just because an ostrich sticks his head in the sand doesn't mean a lion won't bite him on the ass.
"About 10,000 members of the Islamic faction, cheered by tens of thousands, carried assault rifles, rockets and anti-tank missiles as they paraded in the group's largest armed show of force in the territory in years."
God, what an enticing target. What half a dozen Hellfires could accomplish!
Infidel33:
I'm with you. That's what we call a "target-rich environment". : - D