Hamas 'working to curb Gaza rocket attacks'

[Lithos]

Leaders of the Hamas militant movement which controls the Gaza Strip have said they are working to curb rocket attacks against Israel by smaller factions.

Spokesman Ayman Taha said the Hamas government was trying to maintain calm in Gaza for "the national interest".

He spoke hours after Israeli planes carried out bombing raids on what it said were weapons factories in Gaza.

Hamas PM Ismail Haniya also urged the international community to intervene to avoid an escalation in violence.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8601171.stm

Time will tell how sincere and successful this effort will prove.

L-

[azurnoir]

1. Perhaps this is a sign

Dahlan: Hamas Jails Fighter Involved in Friday Clashes

Fatah Central Committee member Muhammad Dahlan said Monday the de facto government has detained an operative involved in Friday's deadly clashes in the Gaza Strip, killing two Palestinian fighters and two Israeli soldiers.

The detainee, a member of Hamas' security forces, has been jailed in Gaza, Dahlan told students at the An-Najjah University, who refused to reveal his name.

http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/100597/dahlan-hamas-jails-fighter-involved-in-friday-clashes.html

[ProgressiveMuslim]

4. Even more interesting is that Dahlan is the one saying this, as he is

public enemy #1 for Hamas.

His goal is to try to make Hamas look bad by saying, "when Fatah called to jail the rocketeers we were collaborators.... now Hamas is doing it themselves." However, this strategy really backfires, IMO.

[azurnoir]

8. agreed 101% n/t

[Chulanowa]

2. If the last time was any indication...

They're pretty serious and will be fairly successful. And Israel will bomb the fuck out of Gaza anyway.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Pull the other finger

Its hard to believe given the small size of Gaza and the level of oppression wrought by Hamas, that rocket salvos can be launched without their permission.

[Tripmann]

5. It would be even harder to believe given the large number

of civilian deaths from OCL, and continuing siege, that there aren't non-hamas Gazans who feel they don't require permission to retaliate for the death of a loved one.

[LeftishBrit]

6. Not sure of that

After all, one could say that 'given the small size of Gaza and the level of oppression wrought by Hamas, they couldn't have any active political enemies' - except that they very obviously do.

Gaza is in political chaos, and Hamas, for all their oppressiveness toward their opponents, *still* couldn't run a whelk stall effectively.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

7. Curious LB... do you think Hamas treats their opponents differently, than say, Fatah?

[LeftishBrit]

9. I think Hamas are a little more ruthless - but it's a tough competition

There are also of course smaller ruthless groups in the mix.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

10. I don't think that's true.

With all due respect, I think you assume that because they are Islamic!

[LeftishBrit]

11. I think you assume wrong

While it's true that I am not keen on any religious political parties, whether Islamic, Jewish or Christian, this is not the reason for my impression here. It is more that:

(a) Hamas has killed about twice as many Fatah members in the internal conflicts than the other way round. This may be simply because it has better military organization or weapons; but I am not under the impression that they are all that unevenly matched there.

(b) It more often seems to be Hamas that threatens some non-Hamas member of the government for saying something that it doesn't like, than the other way around. E.g. the latest, threatening to put Fayyad on trial for saying the 'wrong' things to Ha'aretz about establishing a Palestinian state.

A lot of this may be just because Hamas has more power!

[Scurrilous]

12. Report: Islamic Jihad to stop rocket fire on Israel

<snip>

"Islamic Jihad on Sunday announced that it would cease firing rockets into Israel, Channel 10 news reported.

An Islamic Jihad spokesman, Daoud Shihab, made the announcement in an interview on Islamic Jihad radio, during which he reportedly said the militant group, "stopped the rocket fire into Israel for internal Palestinian purposes - first and foremost to help end the siege on the Gaza Strip."

According to the Channel 10 report, Shihab went on to say that Islamic Jihad does not intend to reverse this decision, but clarified that "if Israel once again attacks Gaza, no one will be able to prevent the resistance operatives from responding to the attacks."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1160932.html

[Scurrilous]

13. Gaza militant: Hamas stopping rocket fire into Israel

<snip>

"Hamas is forcing other Gaza Palestinian factions to guarantee they do not launch rockets or mortar bombs at Israel, a source told the French AFP news agency on Monday.

The source, a member of the Strip's Islamic Jihad militant group, told AFP that members of Hamas' security force arrested four Islamic Jihad militants, forcing them to sign a document stating that they pledged not to fire Qassam missiles or mortar bombs at Israel.

The official added that the Hamas men also confiscated the weapons found on the Islamic Jihad militants."

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