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Shaky
Truce in Gaza Under Duress
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Israeli sweeps threaten the shaky three-month truce. (Al-Jazeera)
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GAZA
CITY, May 20, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –
Militarily and politically, the barely three-months-old relative calm
in the occupied Palestinian territories was near collapse Friday, May
20, threatening to undermine the shaky truce between the Palestinian
factions and Israel.
Only
one day after Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz gave the Israeli
army a free hand in dealing with what Israel terms “militants” –
a reference to Palestinian resistance factions -- Israeli occupation
forces killed a Palestinian activist during a fire shootout near a
Jewish settlement in southern Gaza Strip as Israeli troops pushed deep
into two West Bank cities Friday, May 20.
On
the political scene, Palestinian resistance group Hamas threatened to
reassess understandings with the Palestinian Authority on
participating in Palestinian politics after a Palestinian court
annulled more municipal election results in the Gaza Strip Thursday.
Israeli
forces killed the Palestinian activist in a gun battle Friday after
three activists took over a house near the Kfar Darom settlement, the
Israeli army was quoted as saying by Reuters.
The
other two escaped the scene to the town of Deir El-Balah, according to
Israeli sources.
Palestinian
medics said one of the two Palestinians was wounded, according to
Agence France Presse (AFP).
Hamas
claimed joint responsibility along with the Fatah-linked al Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees for sending the
three-man cell to avenge Israel’s recent military attacks in Gaza,
Reuters said.
“Amid
continued Zionist crimes, we find ourselves with no choice but to
defend our people by all means available,” Hamas spokesman Mushir
Al-Masri said.
On
May 18, Israeli occupation forces killed one Palestinian and seriously
wounded another in a missile attack on southern Gaza Strip, in the
first such attack on the Strip since Israel and the Palestinian
resistance factions agreed to observe a de facto truce.
Sweeps
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Hamas supporters shout slogans during a protest to reject the ruling of a Palestinian court in Gaza. (Reuters)
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And
in the West Bank, Israeli occupation forces staged an incursion into
the village of Syda, north of Tulkarim, and arrested four
Palestinians, the Doha-based Al-Jazeera television said Friday.
In
the east of Nablus, Israeli forces pushed deep into the Balata refugee
camp, wounding three Palestinians and arresting seven others.
Friday’s
clashes further strained even further the shaky de facto truce between
the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel.
Palestinian
resistance groups agreed on March 17, to abide by the truce until the
end of 2005.
Since
then violence has dropped considerably, but the Israeli government has
repeatedly accused Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas of not doing enough
to disarm the Palestinian factions.
Rejection
On
the Palestinian political scene, Hamas rejected a court ruling
canceling the electoral process in more municipal councils the
resistance group had won, charging the rulings were “political,
under a judicial cloak”.
“We
will re-evaluate after reaching an agreement with all factions about
the Israeli violations against us and the practices by the Palestinian
Authority with regard to the election,” Mahmoud a-Zahar, a Hamas
leader, told reporters.
Hamas
branded the decision as politically motivated in the guise of a
judicial decree, accusing the Fatah movement of pressuring the judges
to quash its victories in the May 5 municipal elections, Reuters said.
The
court decision called into question Hamas’s victory in seven of 13
council races in the town of Beit Lahiya and its capture of 12 of 13
seats on Bureij refugee camp’s council.
It
echoed a court ruling Tuesday throwing out returns in parts of the
southern town of Rafah, where Hamas trounced Fatah.
Thousands
of Hamas supporters in both places later marched through the streets
in protest, calling on the courts to let the original results stand.
Commenting
on Hamas’ accusations, Abdallah Al-Ifranji, a member of Fatah
Central Committee and a close aide to Abbas, said Zahar’s comments
were “disappointing”.
In
the municipal voting, Fatah captured about 50 of 84 councils in Gaza
and the West Bank. But preliminary results showed Hamas winning around
30, including larger towns such as Rafah and Qalqilya in the West
Bank.
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