Today Gaza, Tomorrow Jerusalem
13 Sep 2005
It is the height of naiveté to believe that Israel’s forced evacuation of nearly 9,000 Jewish settlers from Gaza has brought Israelis and Palestinians closer to peace than ever before. Palestinians, who are notoriously famous for dancing in the streets every time a terrorist sets off a bomb killing innocent Israelis, taunted Israeli soldiers as they forcefully removed fellow-Jews from the Gaza Strip. One of the chants employed by the Palestinians was, “We will continue with the rest of Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem, until we control all of Israel.” No sooner had Israel’s evacuation of Gaza been completed than the Palestinian Authority put up a billboard reading, “Today Gaza. Tomorrow the West Bank and Jerusalem.”
As the last Israeli soldier pulled out of Gaza yesterday at 6:50 A.M., celebrations, orchestrated by rival terrorist organizations—Islamic Jihad, Hamas, and Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade—broke out all over Palestine. The black, green, and yellow flags of these terrorist groups were soon flying all over the former Israeli-held Gaza Strip. The Palestinian flag, however, was conspicuously less common than the flags of these terrorist organizations. Well known Hamas’ slogans—“Push them out as they pushed you out.” and “Yes for freedom! No for Jews!”—began appearing everywhere, on posters, graffiti, and even the walls of abandoned Gaza synagogues. While breaking windows with a metal pole, one terrorist’s sympathizer, Samir Abu Hattah, shouted, “Go to Hell, Zionists!” According to Hattah, the lesson to be learned from the Israeli pullout of Gaza and to be subsequently taught to Palestinian children is that terrorism works. “No matter how long it takes,” Hattah said, “the occupiers will leave because of resistance.”
Parading through Palestinian settlements in the back of pickup trucks, armed and masked members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Al Aksa Martyrs Brigade celebrated Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza as a victory for terrorism. Hamas’ top military leader, Mohammed Deif, attributed the Israeli pullout from Gaza to his organization’s terrorist campaign against Israel. Additionally, he called for continued terrorist attacks until Israel is completely destroyed. Another senior Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Zahar, told an Arab newspaper, “We do not and will not recognize a state called Israel…This land is the property of all Muslims in all parts of the world…Let Israel die!”
Unlike the leaders of Hamas, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas is attempting to credit the Israeli pullout from Gaza to his nonviolent approach. Furthermore, he is calling upon all terrorist groups to disarm, honor an informal cease-fire agreement with Israel, and participate in the upcoming January elections. The terrorist groups, however, have warned Abbas that any attempt on his part to disband or disarm them will be resisted with force. As a result, Abbas has informed Israel and the United States, both of whom insist that he dismantle Palestine’s militant groups, that there is nothing he can do without risking civil war. This capitulation of the Palestinian leader to terrorist’s threats prompted a senior Israeli defense official to accuse Abbas of having the means, but not the will, to disarm Palestine’s terrorist organizations.
Don Walton
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