Israel Doing to Hamas What Palestinian Authority Couldn’t Do
While reading Khaled Abu Toameh’s December 29, 2008, article in The Jerusalem Post headlined “Analysis: A viable successor to Hamas is hard to find,” the following stood out:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah loyalists are dying to return to the Gaza Strip after being kicked out by Hamas in the summer of 2007 [See “Battle of Gaza (2007)”] .Abu Toameh said, “Judging from the reactions of the Palestinian and Arab masses, it's highly unlikely that Abbas and his forces would be allowed to regain control under the current circumstances.”On Sunday, senior Fatah officials in the West Bank relayed a message to Israel to the effect that they would like to see the IDF (Israel Defense Force "finish off the job" in the Gaza Strip by removing Hamas from power.
The officials made it clear that they were ready to assume control over the Gaza Strip as soon as the IDF eliminated the Hamas regime. Abbas, who held talks with the Egyptians, Saudis and Jordanians over the past 48 hours, is also reported to have expressed his readiness and desire to return to Gaza.
He said, “Ramadan Shallah, secretary-general of the Islamic Jihad organization, warned that any Palestinian "who dares to return to the Gaza Strip aboard an Israeli tank would be condemned as a traitor."
