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Peace Process

Hamastan rises on Jewish Gaza's ruins


By Ryan Jones
September 30, 2005

The worst fear of politicians, military officials and Israeli civilians regarding Israel's withdrawal from Gaza has become a reality ? the volatile coastal strip is now the private domain of Islamic terrorism, led by the infamous Hamas organization.

On Friday, Ha'aretz quoted an unnamed US official as saying the Bush Administration wanted to see the Palestinian Authority immediately exert control over Gaza, following a weekend terrorist flareup in the wake of Israel's ?disengagement.?

But senior PA sources told Middle East Newsline that is simply not possible.

They pointed to the fact uniformed and heavily armed Hamas troops now operate their own military checkpoints and openly patrol the streets of many of Gaza's cities and towns.

?Hamas is in control and all we can do is look on,? said one official. ?This is the new reality.?

Hamas sources said the group has some 5,000 men under arms in Gaza, organized into seven brigades.

Evidence of Hamas' rising power lies in the fact it and groups associated with it have in the past month assassinated a senior PA security adviser and attacked the Gaza City home of the PA Interior Ministry spokesman with virtual impunity.

As early as last October, IDF officials warned in an official report that quitting Gaza would likely result in the strip becoming a ?terrorist entity where anarchy prevails.?

Now that Israel is gone, Gaza's descent into Taliban-like rule is only expected to accelerate, aided by the reported introduction of Al Qaeda operatives into the area earlier this month.

IDF intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash this week said it is his assessment the global terror network managed to infiltrate numerous cells into Gaza amid the border chaos following the withdrawal of the last Israeli troops.

Nor is Hamas satisfied with Gaza alone.

On Thursday the group took control of 28 out of 104 local municipalities up for election in Judea and Samaria.

Israel strongly protests Hamas' participation in elections on the grounds of its signed peace agreements with the PA. But Jerusalem has found little tangible support on this issue from its allies in Washington.

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