CAIRO, Egypt - Arab governments appear at a loss how to stop the stunning wave of Palestinian factional fighting, which threatens to wreck the region's already faltering efforts to resume the Arab-Israeli peace process.
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Arabs watched television footage of the Gaza fighting in despair. "May God curse you all," Egyptian columnist Ahmed Ragab wrote, referring to the Palestinian factions.
The chaos is a heavy blow to U.S. Arab allies who have tried for months to mediate an end to the disputes between the militant Hamas movement and the mainstream
Fatah faction led by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Regional power Saudi Arabia has stayed silent about the clashes in Gaza since they began five days ago, a sign of its anger at the two sides and its reluctance to get involved.
The kingdom put its political clout on the line in February when it hosted a summit between Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal aimed at ending a previous bout of factional fighting. The summit in the holy city of Mecca ended with a deal on a Palestinian unity government that Saudi Arabia touted as a major breakthrough and is now in danger of collapse.
"It is hard to see Saudis or anyone else expending political capital and sticking their neck out for the Palestinians while gunmen controlled by Hamas and Fatah turn Gaza into a homegrown killing field," Lebanon's Daily Star newspaper said in an editorial.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a member, issued a statement urging the two factions "to adhere to the Mecca agreement, which laid down a solid base to overcome the current bottleneck in the Palestinian arena."
Some said the fighting showed the power-sharing deal only papered over the disputes between Hamas and Fatah. "The Mecca agreement didn't get into the deep-rooted divisions between Hamas and Fatah," said Saudi writer Khalid al-Dakhil.
Those who signed onto the deal at Mecca knew it faced opposition from extremists on both sides, said Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor-in-chief of the London-based newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi.
Hamas' military wing was not happy with a freeze in attacks on
Israel, while Fatah hard-liners wanted "to topple the agreement because they don't want a partner or the national unity government," he said.
Other Arab leaders have been able to do little else but call for an end to the fighting. President
Hosni Mubarak, who mediated between Abbas and Mashaal during a meeting in Cairo last month, spoke by phone with Abbas on Thursday, telling him, "Palestinian blood is sacred."
Jordan's King Abdullah II also spoke to Abbas, urging him to show more resolve to end the fighting and to press Hamas to stop rocket attacks on Israel that threaten to widen the conflict.
"The violence must stop for the sake of the Palestinian people, and for the sake of Palestine," the king was quoted as saying in a royal palace statement.
Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — all key U.S. allies — have been trying to persuade the United States and Israel to accept an Arab peace initiative as a starting ground for relaunching peace negotiations. The deal offers full peace with all Arab nations if Israel withdraws from territories captured in the 1967 Middle East War and a Palestinian state is created.
With the Arab countries already struggling to bring Israel on board, the new fighting threatens to make the offer all but irrelevant.
Arab TV stations showed constant images resembling a war zone in Gaza, with masked gunmen in the abandoned streets and people rushing the wounded away on stretchers. Al-Jazeera broadcast live from its offices in Gaza, where journalists in flak jackets and helmets were trapped as gunfire raged outside.
Viewers in the Arab world — long loyal advocates of the Palestinian cause — were stunned and said the turmoil only benefits Israel.
Some blamed the Palestinian factions for a futile fight over power. Zeinab Mohammed, a 21-year-old Egyptian student, said the factions were "serving no one but their own personal interests."
"America, Israel and the whole West want to see us divided," said 47-year-old Kamal Abu-Zeid, wearing thick eyeglasses, and selling newspapers in front of Cairo University.
Sateh Nourredine, managing editor of Lebanon's As-Safir daily, said Gaza "is out of control."
"No one knows where it will lead. They've tried mediation by Egypt, the Arab League and the Mecca agreement. They've had direct talks and a national unity government. Then the situation explodes in this catastrophic way," he told The Associated Press. "There is no political logic to what's happening."
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
To have a state its usually necessary to have some kind of stability. The thought of a Palestinian state is irrelevant while they keep killing each other.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
What is really crazy is if this thread were about Israelis attacking here, there would already be probably 30 posts about zionism, fascists, american influence and the Kuffar and the day of reckoning being near. However when this is posted it seems no one wants to talk about it.... Do you think that could be part of the problem today? When Muslims see other Muslims doing things like this there is a silence, when Muslims see other people doing this there is outrage and instant condemnation. No offence to anyone, it is just a pattern I notice
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
What is really crazy is if this thread were about Israelis attacking here, there would already be probably 30 posts about zionism, fascists, american influence and the Kuffar and the day of reckoning being near. However when this is posted it seems no one wants to talk about it.... Do you think that could be part of the problem today? When Muslims see other Muslims doing things like this there is a silence, when Muslims see other people doing this there is outrage and instant condemnation. No offence to anyone, it is just a pattern I notice
Don't speak too soon. There is still time for someone to post an article from prisonplanet about how the U.S. is covertly dressing up American agents as Hamas members to make sure the Palestinians never get a state.
"Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is."
What is really crazy is if this thread were about Israelis attacking here, there would already be probably 30 posts about zionism, fascists, american influence and the Kuffar and the day of reckoning being near. However when this is posted it seems no one wants to talk about it.... Do you think that could be part of the problem today? When Muslims see other Muslims doing things like this there is a silence, when Muslims see other people doing this there is outrage and instant condemnation. No offence to anyone, it is just a pattern I notice
Yes, i agree with you, someone who is not able to see his own failures and bad things is not able to improve and be reformed. Blaming everything on others is maybe a convenient, but it brings stagnation in further times. It is always easier to say that others are responsible( USA, Israel,) than to honestly consider own weaknesses and mistakes.
Actually it is the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Jordan, who have plotted and fueld this civil war.
Ever since Hamas won the elections, the U.S., EU, and the major Middle Eastern states have plotted to destabilise the Hamas government. That's a fact and has been reported in the Western mainstream media outles.
The U.S. has set aside millions of dillars and military hardware to Abbas and his Fatah organizations, which wil be used to combat Hamas.
The U.S., Israel, Egypt and Jordan, are actively training 10,000 Plaestians (in CIA run bases, in those respective nations) who are loyal to Abbas. They have said that they'll be used against Hamas.
So, the above article which states that the Arabs, and others are stunned by this outcome, are hypocrits and liers.
There were no such clashes like this between the Palestinians before the Hamas victory.
Now everyone is willing to deal with Fatah (which was listed as a terrorist organization, before), as long as it is used to subvert an Islamic government.
Let's not forget about the devastating economic sanctions on an entire people, not Just on Hamas...
Actually it is the U.S., Israel, Egypt and Jordan, who have plotted and fueld this civil war.
Ever since Hamas won the elections, the U.S., EU, and the major Middle Eastern states have plotted to destabilise the Hamas government. That's a fact and has been reported in the Western mainstream media outles.
The U.S. has set aside millions of dillars and military hardware to Abbas and his Fatah organizations, which wil be used to combat Hamas.
The U.S., Israel, Egypt and Jordan, are actively training 10,000 Plaestians (in CIA run bases, in those respective nations) who are loyal to Abbas. They have said that they'll be used against Hamas.
So, the above article which states that the Arabs, and others are stunned by this outcome, are hypocrits and liers.
There were no such clashes like this between the Palestinians before the Hamas victory.
Now everyone is willing to deal with Fatah (which was listed as a terrorist organization, before), as long as it is used to subvert an Islamic government.
Let's not forget about the devastating economic sanctions on an entire people, not Just on Hamas...
Right, it is everyone elses fault, I guess you called it Keltoi
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
Right, it is everyone elses fault, I guess you called it Keltoi
I presented you with facts, and if you don't believe them to be true, then the burden is on you to prove me wrong.
Put your money where your mouth is, and back up your opinion with concrete evidence that'll support your opinion, and not with sarcastic and evasive remaks...
Its outrageous for the Palestinian factions to be fighting each other. They should really concentrate on their Unity government and find ways to end Israel's occupation and oppression.
Keltoi and Mtaffi you are generalising.
"Were they created by nothing, or were they themselves the creators?
Or did they create the heavens and the earth?
Nay, they have no firm belief.”
[Holy Qur'an: 52:35-36]
I presented you with facts, and if you don't believe them to be true, then the burden is on you to prove me wrong.
Put your money where your mouth is, and back up your opinion with concrete evidence that'll support your opinion, and not with sarcastic and evasive remaks...
What you are doing is somehow blaming this on other people, the fact that other governments support Fatah and not Hamas (which has vowed to NO peace with Israel or the west) has no relevance as to why they would fight against their own people. Fatah has done nothing to Hamas other than try to work for peace with Israel, that is why the fighting is going on now. As for your comment about everyone being hypocrites, etc., first maybe you should think about that before you make such a comment. Everyone is shocked because there has recently been a relative peace between the two factions which has now, in a matter of less than a week, exploded into a near civil war. So the shock comes from the dramatic change in tone and actions of Hamas. As far as the people being trained for Abbas, please now show your proof of this, and please dont give me some conspiracy site either.
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
What is really crazy is if this thread were about Israelis attacking here, there would already be probably 30 posts about zionism, fascists, american influence and the Kuffar and the day of reckoning being near. However when this is posted it seems no one wants to talk about it.... Do you think that could be part of the problem today? When Muslims see other Muslims doing things like this there is a silence, when Muslims see other people doing this there is outrage and instant condemnation. No offence to anyone, it is just a pattern I notice
Its not about being silent, the problem is we have had constant lies coming from the American mainstream and the Israeli's that we simply dont believe them anymore. It doesnt take a genius to see who is behind curbing the peace process, and how America turns a blind eye to Israeli terrorism, instead funds this terrorist campaign. How can there be peace with Israel when their former prime minister was the main cause of the uprising, Areil Sharon was a war criminal and commited many genocides during his time in office too. Simply we dont trust the American government, media, or the Israeli's and with good cause too. Just like the mujahideen in Afghanistan were at first supported by America when it served their interest, them same mujahideen are called terrorist by them now. The Israeli's supported Hamas to counter Fatah, now the same Hamas is called terrorist by Israel. Its strange how you miss these patterns.
Last edited by NobleMuslimUK; 05-18-2007 at 04:39 PM.
What you are doing is somehow blaming this on other people, the fact that other governments support Fatah and not Hamas (which has vowed to NO peace with Israel or the west) has no relevance as to why they would fight against their own people. Fatah has done nothing to Hamas other than try to work for peace with Israel, that is why the fighting is going on now. As for your comment about everyone being hypocrites, etc., first maybe you should think about that before you make such a comment. Everyone is shocked because there has recently been a relative peace between the two factions which has now, in a matter of less than a week, exploded into a near civil war. So the shock comes from the dramatic change in tone and actions of Hamas. As far as the people being trained for Abbas, please now show your proof of this, and please dont give me some conspiracy site either.
You never fail to prove us right!
You and others complained that no Muslim will reply to this thread, and when I did, by presenting facts, you again evade the responsibility for providing proof to back up your assertion...
All i have to say about this matter is that the fighting that is taking place inshallah is a temporary glitch. Lets hope and prey that their problems are resolved and they can get back to the real enemy. The article mentions that Fatah are the mainstream political organizatioon? what nonsense is that, Hamas was voted in 2006 and they deserve to be the only power in Palestine, but oh know this cant be. A party with Islamic roots and total hatred towards Israel, in power in Palestine.....no way. Fatah at this present moment are not legitimate in their power according to the fundementals of democracy, so why do Hamas have to share power?
Do not tell me that Israeli's are not looking at this and not help to be happy? If they are happy then America is happy. Sure the citizens might not be becuase normal people hate to see bloodshed. But the Israeli and American and Egyption guvernments are not normal people. Rather they are bloodthirsty hypocrites that love the word genocide (just ask Arial Sharon). thats all i have to say.
Yes you are right this fight between the Paletinian's really shows how weak Muslims are at this moment. Lets hope and pray that they can come to a resolution, without outside interferance.
Wasalam
Our preperation continued, with our efforts and the efforts of our brothers, for years and years. Through out that time we gathered, observed and waited until the moment to move arrived.
Its not about being silent, the problem is we have had constant lies coming from the American mainstream and the Israeli's that we simply dont believe them anymore. It doesnt take a genius to see who is behind curbing the peace process, and how America turns a blind eye to Israeli terrorism, instead funds this terrorist campaign. How can there be peace with Israel when their former prime minister was the main cause of the uprising, Areil Sharon was a war criminal and commited many genocides during his time in office too. Simply we dont trust the American government, media, or the Israeli's and with good cause too. Just like the mujahideen in Afghanistan were at first supported by America when it served their interest, them same mujahideen are called terrorist by them now. The Israeli's supported Hamas to counter Fatah, now the same Hamas is called terrorist by Israel. Its strange how you miss these patterns.
I dont care what you think about american media, that doesnt change anything from the fact that I posted this article, and until something was said there is no Muslim response, however if it were an article posted about israel doing this there would be utter chaos on this thread. You can place the blame on whoever you want, but the truth is Muslims need to recognize their own faults to not only get along with each other but the rest of the world too. (rather than picking at everyone elses faults)
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
You and others complained that no Muslim will reply to this thread, and when I did, by presenting facts, you again evade the responsibility for providing proof to back up your assertion...
what proof did i not provide? I think it is all there in my quote above
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
All i have to say about this matter is that the fighting that is taking place inshallah is a temporary glitch. Lets hope and prey that their problems are resolved and they can get back to the real enemy. The article mentions that Fatah are the mainstream political organizatioon? what nonsense is that, Hamas was voted in 2006 and they deserve to be the only power in Palestine, but oh know this cant be. A party with Islamic roots and total hatred towards Israel, in power in Palestine.....no way. Fatah at this present moment are not legitimate in their power according to the fundementals of democracy, so why do Hamas have to share power?
Do not tell me that Israeli's are not looking at this and not help to be happy? If they are happy then America is happy. Sure the citizens might not be becuase normal people hate to see bloodshed. But the Israeli and American and Egyption guvernments are not normal people. Rather they are bloodthirsty hypocrites that love the word genocide (just ask Arial Sharon). thats all i have to say.
Yes you are right this fight between the Paletinian's really shows how weak Muslims are at this moment. Lets hope and pray that they can come to a resolution, without outside interferance.
Wasalam
Lets also hope and pray that they can come to peace not only with each other but everyone else too
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left."
- Bertrand Russell
"He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat." - Napoleon Bonaparte
"There is nothing so likely to produce peace as to be well prepared to meet the
enemy." - George Washington
I dont care what you think about american media, that doesnt change anything from the fact that I posted this article, and until something was said there is no Muslim response, however if it were an article posted about israel doing this there would be utter chaos on this thread. You can place the blame on whoever you want, but the truth is Muslims need to recognize their own faults to not only get along with each other but the rest of the world too. (rather than picking at everyone elses faults)
Yes we know our fualts and when some one sees somthing that puts them down, then their natural reaction is silence. How would you feel if your nation was divided the way the Palestinian nation is devided? And when someone says "ha look at them fighting each other" your reaction would be silence.
Our preperation continued, with our efforts and the efforts of our brothers, for years and years. Through out that time we gathered, observed and waited until the moment to move arrived.
Its not about being silent, the problem is we have had constant lies coming from the American mainstream and the Israeli's that we simply dont believe them anymore. It doesnt take a genius to see who is behind curbing the peace process, and how America turns a blind eye to Israeli terrorism, instead funds this terrorist campaign. How can there be peace with Israel when their former prime minister was the main cause of the uprising, Areil Sharon was a war criminal and commited many genocides during his time in office too. Simply we dont trust the American government, media, or the Israeli's and with good cause too. Just like the mujahideen in Afghanistan were at first supported by America when it served their interest, them same mujahideen are called terrorist by them now. The Israeli's supported Hamas to counter Fatah, now the same Hamas is called terrorist by Israel. Its strange how you miss these patterns.
Lets be honest with each other shall we. What is this about Palestine? Why is Palestine such a heated debate? Is its history? location? resource? what? What is the agenda of Israel and who is behind them? Ask yourself, what is so important about this strip of land? Do your research and you will see that its all about that city called Jerusalem. But i guess most of yous know that. Instability in Palestine is something that didnt happen naturaly
Our preperation continued, with our efforts and the efforts of our brothers, for years and years. Through out that time we gathered, observed and waited until the moment to move arrived.
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