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Keltoi
07-30-2007, 07:17 PM
By STEVEN GUTKIN, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago



GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Never mind the international isolation, growing poverty and reports of violent retribution against its defeated Fatah rivals. In Hamas' own eyes, its takeover of Gaza has made the coastal strip "safe, clean and green."

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In an attempt to get that message across, Hamas took two busloads of foreign journalists on an air conditioned tour of Gaza on Monday — including a stop in a refugee camp where the deposed prime minister waved from his balcony and a prison visit hosted by one of Hamas' most powerful military men.

Hamas officials said they were worried about the negative publicity they have received since taking over Gaza in June.

Journalists walked 500 yards into Gaza across a mortar-pocked no man's land from Israel and boarded the buses, accompanied by a convoy of security vehicles carrying heavily armed men. Gaza traffic was halted to make way for the visitors.

The tour was colorful and revealing — a glimpse into how the Islamic militants see themselves and want to be seen. There were eight stops.

• Stop One. Ismail Haniyeh's house.

"It's not a luxurious house," Hamas tour guide Ahmad Asmar said before the buses pulled up to the home of Haniyeh, whom Hamas still considers prime minister even though he was fired by Mahmoud Abbas, the Fatah-affiliated president, after Hamas' takeover. Haniyeh lives among the people in the Shati refugee camp on the Gaza City beach. Dressed in a suit and tie on a hot summer day, Haniyeh suddenly appeared on his balcony and waved to the reporters.

• Stop Two. Yasser Arafat's house.

"It is our job to keep this house secure," said senior Haniyeh aide Ghazi Hamad, disputing Fatah and media claims that the home of the late Palestinian leader had been looted and vandalized. Hamas officials stressed that they respected Arafat and the Fatah movement he founded. Arafat's picture remains posted on the walls of many buildings controlled by Hamas.

• Stop Three. Presidential guest house.

The guest house, where Abbas used to entertain foreign dignitaries, remains just as it was when Fatah abandoned it in defeat. A photograph of Arafat and Nelson Mandela adorns the wall of one room, and in the bedroom, a photo of Arafat and Bill Clinton. Even the ashtrays and water glasses have been left untouched. Hamad said it's Hamas' duty to preserve such places "until we reach a political compromise" with Fatah. At the moment, that's looks unlikely. Fatah, whose defeat in Gaza has left it in charge of the West Bank and eligible for fresh diplomacy with Israel and the West, says it has no interest in talking to Hamas.

• Stop Four. The Palestinian parliament.

Acting parliamentary speaker Ahmad Bahar offered journalists a long explanation of how the Hamas-controlled legislature favors human rights, Palestinian unity, press freedom and a swift end to Israeli occupation. The rub: Since Hamas' takeover, the Palestinian parliament has not been functioning, and no resumption is likely any time soon.

• Stop Five. National Security Headquarters.

The head of the Executive Force, Hamas' main security force in Gaza, was flanked by black-clad gunmen as he told the reporters that their job is "sacred" and that they have an obligation to tell the world the truth about Hamas. Abu Obeida said Hamas respects human rights and holds no political prisoners — denying claims by human rights workers that at least nine Fatah loyalists have been killed and more than 20 others arrested since Hamas' takeover.

"We are working according to the law," Abu Obeida said before taking journalists to a jail in the same compound. Prisoners prayed and cooked and answered journalists' questions, with many saying their conditions had improved since Hamas took power. "I can open the refrigerator" to show how nice the food is, said 46-year-old inmate Menahed Ehlayel. No one on the tour, in the jail or anywhere else, said anything negative about Hamas, which much of the world has branded a terrorist organization.

• Stop Six. A Roman Catholic church.

A Hamas minder tried to stop a reporter from asking Father Manuel Musallam, Gaza's only Catholic priest, about who was behind the ransacking of a Catholic convent and nearby school during June's Hamas-Fatah fighting. Musallam answered anyway, saying Haniyeh had offered his support in finding the perpetrators. "We suffer with them, but we haven't suffered from them," the priest said of Hamas and Gaza's other Muslim inhabitants. Still, a number of Gaza's 3,000 Christians have privately expressed concern about Hamas' intentions.

• Stop Seven. The Rafah border crossing.

Hamas gunmen guard the perimeter of Gaza's main gateway to the outside world, its border crossing with Egypt. Like all other Gaza crossings, the Rafah border has been shut since Hamas' takeover, leaving thousands of Gazans stranded on the other side. The reporters were taken within a few yards of the Egyptian side. Three truckloads of wheat flour passed by from another nearby crossing — part of the daily humanitarian aid flow that sustains the vast majority of Gaza's 1.4 million people. Hamad said Hamas would like to see Abbas' forces regain control of border crossings such as Rafah, aware that Israel would never permit Hamas to conduct security checks there. Fatah has ruled this out.

• Stop Eight. Haniyeh speaks.

The tour ended with a speech by Haniyeh at an upscale Gaza City hotel. To get there, the buses drove along the beach, where thousands of Gazans have been flocking since Hamas' takeover improved the internal security situation in Gaza. Veiled women sat waist-deep in the ocean with their children as Hamas security forces guarded the beach. Haniyeh described how Hamas' takeover had ended factional fighting and the murderous chaos that had taken over Gaza's streets. Father Musallam sat next to Haniyeh, who began his speech by saying Christians were "a very important part of our people."

"We do not want to establish an Islamic state in the Gaza Strip," Haniyeh said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/...stinians_hamas
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Keltoi
08-01-2007, 09:41 PM
Does this thread actually exist?

*I see now that it does..must have been shuffled to the back..:)
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wilberhum
08-01-2007, 09:46 PM
Stop Six. A Roman Catholic church.
Was reported on another thread. The think I pointed out was;
A Hamas minder
That is a good indication it was nothing but a propaganda tour.
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Salaam
08-01-2007, 10:45 PM
finally peace in Gaza under Hamas control, good to hear that people are getting their rights back. feels great that Fatah are no longer in control of gaza, hope the same happens to the West Bank...
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Keltoi
08-01-2007, 10:46 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Salaam
finally peace in Gaza under Hamas control, good to hear that people are getting their rights back. feels great that Fatah are no longer in control of gaza, hope the same happens to the West Bank...
Out of curiousity, what rights were being denied the Palestinians under Fatah?
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Chechnya
08-02-2007, 12:00 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Keltoi
Out of curiousity, what rights were being denied the Palestinians under Fatah?
the right to not to be ruled by a bunch of secular morons :hmm:
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Amadeus85
08-02-2007, 12:19 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Chechnya
the right to not to be ruled by a bunch of secular morons :hmm:
So now they are ruled by bunch of religious morons :eek:
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Chechnya
08-02-2007, 12:38 AM
better to be ruled by the god-fearing rather than the godless - at least for us muslims

and the fact that they "religious" removes them from the "moron" bracket altogether but thanks for your comments anyway :D
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Keltoi
08-02-2007, 01:07 AM
format_quote Originally Posted by Chechnya
the right to not to be ruled by a bunch of secular morons :hmm:
Secular meaning they didn't support an Islamic state? If that is the case then Hamas are also secular since they have stated they don't support an Islamic state either. Or do you mean something else?
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Darkseid
08-06-2007, 06:53 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by Chechnya
better to be ruled by the god-fearing rather than the godless - at least for us muslims
Nope. It doesn't matter at all what your religion is when it comes to who you are ruled by. In the end, all shall suffer.


and the fact that they "religious" removes them from the "moron" bracket altogether but thanks for your comments anyway :D
Actually being religious can make you a moron just by underminding what it means to be a moron.
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MTAFFI
08-13-2007, 06:35 PM
Hamas militiamen beat protesters in Gaza By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer
39 minutes ago



GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Security men for Gaza's Hamas rulers clubbed and slammed rifle butts into opponents staging a rare protest Monday, seizing the cameras of journalists covering the event and raiding media offices to prevent news footage from getting out.

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The Islamic militant group claims it is willing to tolerate dissent, but the crackdown was the latest in a series of moves to squash opposing voices, including breaking up private parties Friday and Monday where people were singing songs of the rival Fatah movement.

After Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip routed forces loyal to President Mahmoud Abbas and Fatah in five days of fighting in June, the group declared an amnesty for former Fatah fighters.

Yet when Fatah and allied groups announced plans for Monday's rally, Hamas banned "all demonstrations and public gatherings" that do not have official permission.

Buses carrying protesters were halted by Hamas guards who beat passengers, driving them away and confiscating Fatah flags. However, about 300 people got past the militia cordon and demonstrated for 20 minutes, shouting "We want freedom. We want to raise our voice!"

Security officers arrested several demonstrators and then confiscated equipment from news photographers and cameramen trying to cover the arrests, including an Associated Press still camera.

Hamas squads also raided the Gaza offices of media organizations, looking for material from the rally. Staffers at satellite broadcaster Al-Arabiyya said the militiamen seized a camera and videotape at their office.

The Palestinian journalists union urged its members to observe a three-day boycott of any events organized by the Hamas militia, known as the Executive Force, to protest its treatment of the media.

Saleh Nasser, a member of the small, leftist Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine who was at the rally, condemned Hamas' actions.

"Treating people in this way when they came to raise their voice in a peaceful demonstration is something that is condemned, rejected and cannot be accepted," he said. "We are astonished by the decision to ban demonstrations."

The Gaza fighting in June, during which about 100 people were killed and 500 wounded, deepened the already bitter political rivalry between Hamas and Fatah.

Following the Hamas takeover of Gaza, Abbas expelled Hamas from the Palestinian coalition government and formed a West Bank-based administration of moderates in its place.

Undeterred, deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh pledged to impose law and order in the formerly anarchic Gaza Strip. But his Executive Force is gaining a reputation for heavy-handedness, particularly when dealing with Fatah supporters.

On Friday, rifle-toting militiamen roared up to a bachelor party where revelers were dancing to Fatah songs. Video showed the Hamas men firing in the air to break up the celebration, clubbing guests, hurling chairs around and leaving one man lying unconscious.

The images were repeatedly broadcast on Fatah-affiliated Palestine TV. The cameraman who took the footage, from the local Gaza Ramattan news agency, was detained and questioned by Hamas for several hours.

On Monday, the Executive Force was in action again, breaking up the wedding of a Fatah activist and holing five guests for several hours.

One of those detained, Zaid Salem, said wedding participants were singing Fatah songs but did not break a Hamas ban on celebratory gunfire and were not charged with any wrongdoing.

"We were celebrating the wedding and we were astonished by this act," he said. "We were released, but we have no explanation for what happened."

Hamas did not comment directly on Monday's incidents.

But in a statement, it said the Executive Force is a nonpartisan enforcer of public order regulations, which require that demonstrations be authorized 48 hours in advance and that social events be low key — without shooting, fireworks, excessive noise or disruption of public streets.

"Anyone violating these orders will be subject to punishment," the statement said. "Nobody is above the law."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070813/...nians_violence
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ISLAMASWEENEY
08-13-2007, 08:16 PM
Yes But If You Look At Tony Blair He Will Only Talk To Israel And Fatah He Wont Talk To Hamas Because America Regards Them As A Terriorist Organisation Why Dosent He Be His Man For Once In His Life And Talk To Ishmail Haniya The Leader Of Hamas.
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MTAFFI
08-13-2007, 08:20 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by ISLAMASWEENEY
Yes But If You Look At Tony Blair He Will Only Talk To Israel And Fatah He Wont Talk To Hamas Because America Regards Them As A Terriorist Organisation Why Dosent He Be His Man For Once In His Life And Talk To Ishmail Haniya The Leader Of Hamas.
You may not believe this but I have to also say that Tony Blair should speak with Hamas. To answer your question, I believe he wont speak to them because they are not interested in peace, however, they never will be interested in peace unless someone talks to them and tries to offer them something.
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ISLAMASWEENEY
08-13-2007, 08:22 PM
Yes Hamas Does Recongnise Israel As A Contry Next To Palestine That Is What Haniya Yesterday.
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Keltoi
08-13-2007, 09:06 PM
format_quote Originally Posted by ISLAMASWEENEY
Yes Hamas Does Recongnise Israel As A Contry Next To Palestine That Is What Haniya Yesterday.
Then they should probably rewrite their charter and officially endorse a two state solution.
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