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Remarks on this article courtesy Patrick Devenny, who has kindly offered to help out around here:
Critics of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza have long warned that the vacuum left behind would be filled by Hizballah, Al-Qaeda, and other foreign jihadist groups. Now, as Gaza descends into anarchy, these concerns have risen again to the fore, per FoxNews:
Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Thursday said they fear Al Qaeda terrorists will infiltrate into Gaza through the open Gaza-Egypt border, where Palestinians and Egyptians have been crossing largely unfettered since Israel withdrew from the area four days ago.In a deal worked out with Israel, Egypt is supposed to deploy 750 border troops to secure the frontier and prevent weapons smuggling, but neither those troops nor Palestinian policemen have been able to halt the flow of people and arms, including hundreds of assault rifles and pistols.
Israel fears international terrorists will exploit the chaotic border to infiltrate Gaza and Israel.
"We're talking about Iran, we're talking elements in Syria, we're talking about groups like Hezbollah and we're talking also about international terrorist groups like Al Qaeda," said Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Mark Regev. Israel has long accused Iran and Syria of sponsoring militant groups.
Rafiq Husseini, the top aide to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, said, "we are even more worried than Israel about Al Qaeda coming here because Al Qaeda will harm us more than Israel." Such a presence, he said, would hurt prospects for peace and renewed negotiations with Israel.
“The Palestinian Authority security apparatus will arrest any suspected Al Qaeda members or other terrorist groups if they infiltrate Gaza," he said.
Yeah, surrrre.
These fears have been raised just two days after Hamas official Mahmud al-Zahhar told the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera: “Yes, yes, it is true what is being said. A couple of Al-Qa'idah's men have infiltrated Gaza. And further contacts are being made by telephone with organization centres abroad."
The PA’s promise to fight Al-Qaeda in Gaza provides little solace, given the fact that they have yet to arrest any of the 100 gunmen who stormed the house of Moussa Arafat. Their ability -– or willingness -- to prevent Al-Qaeda agents from infiltrating the chaos of Gaza is doubtful.
Posted by Robert at September 15, 2005 4:42 PM
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"Rafiq Husseini, the top aide to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, said, 'we are even more worried than Israel about Al Qaeda coming here because Al Qaeda will harm us more than Israel.' Such a presence, he said, would hurt prospects for peace and renewed negotiations with Israel."
...harm the PA's dominance, and hence control of the assets, land, monetary and otherwise, more likely.
Oh well, Palestinian Bedouins will be Bedouins, won't they?
For bloggers who don't check out MEMRI, a long but very interesting translation/analysis of a Libyan progressive intellectual,Dr. Muhammad Al-Houni, entitled The Arabs Must Choose Between Western Civilization and the Legacy of the Middle Ages on the Bedouin culture at this link:
http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=IA24005
KingTolerance would probably dismiss Dr. Al-Houni as an Islamophobe if he didn't know who the author was.
Posted by: waterdragon52![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at September 15, 2005 5:06 PM
seattle times reports that arms dealers say 100s of ak-47s were smuggled into gaza during open border period..woohoo!!! let the civil wart begin
..devour each other to the last man..
at September 15, 2005 5:58 PM
wart?
Posted by: otterfisher at September 15, 2005 5:58 PM
I'm with you Otter. Let them kill each other until Gaza flows red with their anger at each other. Doesn't Israel have remote control gun turrets at the Gaza border. Be sure they are fully loaded and ready. As long as they are killing each other, everything looks great. This is one internecine conflict Bush and Condi can't stop.
at September 15, 2005 6:12 PM
To tell ya the truth, Im shocked that they are not already shooting the heck out of each other.... Its been 4 days...
Posted by: Sharku at September 15, 2005 9:41 PM
How do you know they aren't? News reporters would be among the first to go.
Posted by: Infidel33 at September 15, 2005 10:59 PM
Just as a matter of interest, the AP story about the smuggling of arms into Gaza appeared today in this morning's Denver Post.
Unfortunately, the story was buried on page 24.
And the concealment goes on.....and on......and on........
Posted by: JohnnyDub at September 15, 2005 11:31 PM
what doesn't kill me..makes me stronger..not lifting weights doesn't kill me..not lifting weights makes me stonger..
-jack handey
at September 15, 2005 11:40 PM
Let`s be not be led astray by sidewinders from the PLO.
Al Qaeda is already in Gaza.
at September 16, 2005 12:21 AM
If the Palestinian Authority CANNOT keep Al Qaeda out of Gaza, then Gaza's status is now like that of Belgium during the World Wars
and so,
Refusing to condemn and remove Al Qaeda means Palestinian Authority is now a US enemy in the War on Terror.
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles.php?article_id=4821
at September 16, 2005 12:29 AM
From Debkafile which is a reliable source:
Exclusive’s military sources, the Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Jihad Islami and other Palestinian groups have poured many tons of explosives, rockets, RPGs and missiles into Gaza. An Israeli officer estimated the quantity would have kept three large Sinai-Rafah arms tunnels busy around the clock for a year.
Thursday, September 15, thousands of Palestinians continued to flock unchecked by Egyptian or Palestinian police across the Gaza-Egyptian border through the Rafah Sultan refugee camp. All the Egyptians are doing is replacing the damaged patches of barbed wire along the Philadelphi route and resealing the holes in the border wall.
at September 16, 2005 12:59 AM
The "Life Is Sweet" Show: A Discussion of How the Footage of Carnage Aired by the Arab Satellite Channels, Affects Children Psychologically.
Pallywood, "According to Palestinian Sources..."
a film by Richard Landes & Nidra Poller. International news media extract a few convincing instants of staged scenes - sight-bytes, and present them as news...
Streaming video: pallywood.wmv High Resolution: pallywood.divx
http://www.seconddraft.org
at September 16, 2005 2:59 AM
The "Life Is Sweet" Show: A Discussion of How the Footage of Carnage Aired by the Arab Satellite Channels, Affects Children Psychologically.
Pallywood, "According to Palestinian Sources..."
a film by Richard Landes & Nidra Poller. International news media extract a few convincing instants of staged scenes - sight-bytes, and present them as news...
Streaming video: pallywood.wmv High Resolution: pallywood.divx
http://www.seconddraft.org
at September 16, 2005 3:00 AM
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