(Jerusalem Post) Khaled Abu Toameh - The mortar attacks on Israel over the weekend were designed to divert attention from Hamas' growing problems inside Gaza. The Hamas leadership has been under heavy pressure as a result of mass demonstrations demanding an end to the Hamas-Fatah dispute. Hamas believes that the demonstrations are being organized by Fatah as part of an attempt to undermine the Islamist movement. Last week dozens of Hamas undercover police officers attacked thousands of demonstrators who were participating in a Facebook-initiated rally to demand Palestinian unity. At least 50 demonstrators were injured, including eight local journalists. On Saturday, Hamas raided the offices of CNN, Reuters and a Japanese TV station, confiscating cameras and laptops in an attempt to prevent further coverage of daily protests throughout Gaza. Hamas fears the current wave of popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world. The mortar attacks are aimed at dragging Israel into a military offensive that is needed by Hamas to divert attention from its problems and rally the Palestinian public behind it.
2011-03-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive