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Violence Dashes Hopes for Palestinian State

[Sydney Morning Herald-Australia] Jason Koutsoukis - Rescue workers began sifting through the rubble of a three-storey apartment block, the stronghold of the Hilles clan aligned to Fatah, which was destroyed by Hamas on Saturday. It is believed Hamas militants fired 300 mortar shells and dozens of rocket-propelled grenades into the Sajaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. Hamas marksmen positioned themselves on the minarets of several mosques and fired at anyone who came into the street. Mohammad Darawshe, co-director of the Abraham Fund, said, "Hamas might win the battle, but this behavior makes it so much harder to win international support to create an independent state. This is the behavior of a brutal dictatorship, not a political party working towards advancing the interests of its people." Gabriel Motzkin, a professor of philosophy at Hebrew University, said the infighting had extinguished any chance of success in this round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. "It is beyond doubt that there are now two separate Palestinian territories, so who does Israel deal with? Mahmoud Abbas does not speak for Palestinians in Gaza. And Hamas is not interested in any negotiations with Israel at all. This civil war makes a permanent solution impossible to negotiate."
2008-08-05 08:00:00
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