Hamas: Fatah foiling Johnston release

Kidnapped BBC correspondent Alan Johnston
Photo: AP

This stinks to high heaven. I hate it when people play politics with innocent people, even when its only one.

Fatah leaders have been urging the captors of BBC correspondent Alan Johnston to hold on to him to avoid a situation where Hamas would take credit for his release, Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas in the Gaza Strip, said Saturday.

"Hamas is making a big effort to release the British journalist," Abu Zuhri told the Quds Press news agency. "But some Fatah leaders in Ramallah have been phoning the captors to ask them not to release him." He said Hamas had evidence that the Fatah leaders were trying to hinder Johnston's release. "They don't want Hamas to take credit for his release," he added.

Although the Hamas spokesman did not name the Fatah leaders, sources close to Hamas claimed that top Fatah operative Muhammad Dahlan, who is currently living in Ramallah, was one of them.

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Islamists battle Lebanon army at second camp

Can/will someone help me out here? Are the members of these Islamist militant groups also refugees or are the refugees just caught in the middle? I've scoured reports and can't find the info.

AIN AL-HILWEH, Lebanon, June 4 (Reuters) - Islamist militants killed two Lebanese soldiers at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Monday in an apparent attempt to relieve pressure on al Qaeda-inspired fighters besieged by the army in the north.

Two fighters of the Sunni militant group Jund al-Sham were also killed in rifle, grenade and mortar exchanges that erupted at an entrance to the big Ain al-Hilweh camp near the southern port city of Sidon, security and military sources said. Witnesses said the fighting at Ain al-Hilweh, started by Jund al-Sham on Sunday night, subsided later on Monday. Three soldiers and two civilians were also wounded.

The clashes were the latest jolt to stability in Lebanon, already shaken by a protracted political crisis pitting the Western-backed government against Syria's Lebanese allies.

Hundreds of civilians fled Ain al-Hilweh, a sprawling shantytown perched on a hillside above Sidon, 42 km (26 miles) south of Beirut. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction dominates the camp, but small Islamist groups have a foothold there and in several other refugee camps in Lebanon.

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Must read IMHO

Is there any country outside a handful America is not supplying with munitions?

So, what does this all mean for US policy? If, as I'm suggesting, we can't effectively prop up Fatah by such means as military aid, are we doomed to sit this one out and just hope that Hamas doesn't win? No, definitely not. It's actually quite simple: when it comes to strengthening Palestinian moderates, the best approach is to show that the path of moderation and dialogue actually brings results. That means, for instance, that the Bush administration should be involved in brokering a deal between Olmert and Abbas that, upon completion, leads to Israeli withdrawals from some Palestinian territories, the closing down of certain checkpoints, and other positive outcomes.

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Hamas Cabinet resigns to bring Fatah into government

Heaven forbid the US gives this government a chance to survive.

Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas has formed a new government with the moderate Fatah movement, but he faces unresolved internal disputes and a reported warning of a US boycott.

Yesterday, Haniyeh and his government resigned and President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah appointed him to form the new team, based on last week’s agreement in the Muslim holy city of Mecca to split power between the two rivals.

Mr Haniyeh has five weeks to put together a new Cabinet. During that period, Hamas and Fatah need to resolve deep disputes over control of the security forces and whether to dismantle a separate Hamas militia.

However, even if the coalition is formed, it appears increasingly unlikely it will win international backing. The new government’s political programme falls short of a key condition by the international community, explicit recognition of Israel. Instead, it contains a vague promise to “respect” international agreements, at best implying recognition.

Hamas is considered a terror group by the US, the EU and Israel, and the Hamas-led government was targeted by a crippling international aid boycott.

Isn't an "implied" recognition of Israel a step forward? Just asking.

The world isn't black and white, regardless of what Bush thinks. Tiny steps are OK. Today the coalition implies recognition of Israel and soon may demonstratively accept Israel. We have to wait and see, but accept what's offered now.

Oh yeah, "considered a terror group" by a psychotic administration, Bush's poodle and a paranoid nation. No problem for me.

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Abbas' guard occupies Gaza Islamic university as fighting rages

That truce in Gaza sure didn't last long now, did it? Just asking.

The guard of Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas has occupied Gaza Islamic University, a bastion of Hamas, a security source said as new clashes threatened to destroy a three-day truce between warring factions Fatah and Hamas and shooting spread like wildfire through the Gaza Strip.

Several armed men were arrested and weapons and explosives were confiscated following a search of the campus, the source said.

The presidential guard decided to move in after Hamas militants there fired mortar shells and rocket propelled grenades at the offices of the Palestinian presidency in Gaza City.

Witnesses said heavy exchanges of fire broke out Thursday evening in several sectors of Gaza City.

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