Gaza Continues to Spiral into Chaos

As I blogged earlier the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate.

The BBC wrote about this here:

"Campaigning is under way in the first Palestinian parliamentary election for 10 years. But the talk in Gaza is not so much of issues and policies and the prospects for parties.

The focus is more on the law and chronic problems, and whether the polls will be held at all.

Foreigners have been kidnapped. And every day there are angry anti-government protests. Public buildings are stormed as armed demonstrators demand jobs, or sometimes the release of prisoners.

There have been attacks on police stations, clan feuds and clashes between militia groups.

All this has to be kept in context. Much of the upheaval has been confined to the south, and to the town of Rafah in particular - and much of the turmoil has about it an element of show.

There have been few casualties, and very little serious, sustained violence. Protesting gunmen who occupy government buildings often leave as soon as they have made their point. But the disturbances are more frequent now, and they are generating a sense of insecurity that deeply disturbs people here."

But they have their own little spin as to why this is happening

"The chaos has its roots in many problems.

This society has been radicalised and traumatised by its confrontation with the Israelis, who occupied Gaza decades ago and only evacuated their settlers and troops last summer."

Funny, how the BBC rarely if ever chooses to handle Israeli reactions to terror with the same kid gloves. But enough of my comments, read the piece.

In other stories about the area we see the following:

Palestinians storm Egypt border

Hundreds of Palestinians have poured through holes in Gaza's border fence with Egypt, created by militants on commandeered bulldozers.

Egyptian police fired into the air but could not stop between 300 and 1,000 people surging through the breach.

Members of the militant al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade earlier opened fire and blocked the Rafah border crossing.

They were demanding the release of a leader, Alaa al-Hams, arrested on Tuesday by Palestinian police."

An AP story on Yahoo! included a number of pieces that the BBC left out including these gems

RAFAH, Gaza Strip - Hundreds of angry Palestinians streamed into Egypt on Wednesday after militants with stolen bulldozers broke through a border wall, and two Egyptian troops were killed and 30 were wounded by gunfire in the rampage.About 3,000 Egyptian Interior Ministry troops who initially had no orders to fire swarmed the border but were forced to withdraw about a half-mile, said security forces Lt. Sameh el-Antablyan, who announced the casualties.

Gen. Essam el-Sheikh said Egyptian forces later began firing back.

The scene was one of utter chaos. An Egyptian armored vehicle was burning and hundreds of Palestinians could be seen crouched in farm fields just inside Egypt.

The militants' rampage through the southern Gaza town of Rafah underscored the growing lawlessness in Palestinian towns, especially in Gaza, and represented the most brazen challenge to the authority of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Earlier, the Egyptian troops fired tear gas and shot into the air. A witness said three Palestinians were injured — one seriously, when a troop carrier crushed him against a wall.

Police imposed a curfew on the Egyptian side, all shops were closed, and authorities cut electricity, plunging the scene in near total darkness.

Abbas, who has condemned the chaos, has been unable to impose order, and his failure to keep the gunmen in check is expected to harm Fatah's prospects in Jan. 25 parliament elections."

And you remember Rachel Corrie, the terrorist dupe who was killed in an unfortunate accident. In the same AP story we see the following:

"Elsewhere, Palestinian gunmen burst into a Rafah house early Wednesday and tried to kidnap the parents of Rachel Corrie, who was killed in 2003 as she protested the impending demolition of a house in the southern Gaza town, according to a witness.

The five gunmen appeared to be affiliated with the Fatah movement, according to Samir Nasrallah, the Corries' host. The gunmen eventually relented after being told who their targets were, he said.

Corrie, of Olympia, Wash., was crushed to death by an Israeli bulldozer in 2003 as she tried to stop it from demolishing Nasrallah's house. Her parents, Craig and Cindy, have repeatedly visited Nasrallah since their daughter's death. They left Gaza safely after the attempted kidnapping, Nasrallah said."

There are some really smart people running around there. Oy.