Why Hamas Will Not Disarm - by Khaled Abu Toameh - https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12095/hamas-gaza-weapons-control
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is living in an illusion if he thinks that his rivals in Hamas would ever agree to lay down their weapons or cede control over the Gaza Strip.
Hamas has no intention of dismantling its military and security apparatus. It also does not have any intention of allowing Abbas's security forces to be stationed in the Gaza Strip. This refusal is why the "reconciliation" deal that Abbas signed with Hamas in Cairo in October 2017 will never be translated into facts on the ground.
Hamas is prepared to give Abbas anything he wants in the Gaza Strip except for security control. Hamas has no problem allowing Abbas and his government to function as a "civil administration" in the Gaza Strip by providing funds and various services to government institutions there.
If Abbas wants to pay salaries to civil servants in the Gaza Strip, that is fine with Hamas. If he wants to pay for fuel, water and electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip, that is also fine with Hamas.
Security control, however, is the last thing Hamas wants from Abbas. For Hamas, security is a red line not to be crossed.
What is behind Hamas's fierce opposition to relinquishing security control over the Gaza Strip?
Hamas wants to retain its weapons and security control of the Gaza Strip for two reasons: first, it wants the weapons so that it can continue the "armed struggle" against Israel; second, Hamas knows that the moment it hands over security control of the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian Authority (PA), many of its leaders and members will either be killed or imprisoned by Abbas's security forces.
Ahmed Bahr, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, described Abbas's demand that Hamas dismantle its security and military apparatus as "idiotic."
In a sermon he delivered during Friday prayers at Al-Mahata Mosque in the central Gaza Strip on March 23, Bahr said that the issue of disarming Hamas and other Palestinian terror groups was "non-negotiable." Hamas, he added, will not hand over its weapons to a Palestinian Authority government that conducts security coordination with Israel in the West Bank. "The weapons of the Palestinian resistance are legitimate weapons that will be used to restore our rights and liberate our lands," the Hamas official said. "The armed struggle [against Israel] is a right guaranteed by international laws."
Bahr's statements show that Hamas still does not trust Abbas and his Palestinian Authority, mainly because of their close security ties with Israel. For Hamas, security coordination with Israel is a form of treason, and there is no way Hamas would agree to cooperate with any Palestinian party that works with the Israelis.
Hamas continues to accuse the PA security forces and Israel of jointly cracking down on its members in the West Bank.
In a recent statement, Hamas accused the Palestinian Authority of arresting 10 of its members there. The arrests were carried out in the West Bank cities of Tulkarem, Nablus, Kalkilya, Hebron and Ramallah, according to Hamas. Among those taken into custody was a Palestinian journalist, Osama Shahin. Hamas said that two of the detainees have gone on hunger strike to protest their "illegal" incarceration.
Hamas fears that many of its leaders and members will face the same fate if it allows Abbas's security forces to deploy in the Gaza Strip. Those who are fortunate will only end up behind bars. Those who are less fortunate will be executed in public squares by Abbas loyalists.
Hamas still has agonizing memories of the days between 1993 and 2007, when the Palestinian Authority was in control of the Gaza Strip. Then, many Hamas leaders and senior officials found themselves either in prison or under house arrest.
Back then, one of the PA's favorite methods of "torture" -- and humiliating Hamas leaders -- was shaving the beards of Hamas leaders. Several Hamas leaders, including Mahmoud Zahar, had their beards shaven by their Palestinian interrogators while in prison.
This was the Palestinian Authority's technique of punishing the Hamas leaders. Muslims believe that, according to Islamic teachings, it is mandatory for men to grow a beard. Prophet Mohammed was even quoted as saying, "Be distinguished from disbelievers, grow your beards and shave your moustache."
The Hamas leaders' fear of what awaits them should they cede control over the Gaza Strip is not unjustified.
In a March 19 speech before Palestine Liberation Organization leaders in Ramallah, Abbas threatened to "pour shoes on the heads" of the Hamas leaders. The shoes, he said, will hit the heads of the most senior and most junior man in Hamas.
Abbas's threat came in response to the apparent assassination attempt targeting his Prime Minister, Rami Hamdallah, and General Intelligence Chief Majed Faraj, during a visit to the Gaza Strip earlier this month. The two senior Palestinian officials escaped unharmed when a roadside bomb exploded near their convoy in the northern Gaza Strip -- an area controlled by Hamas. Abbas has held Hamas "fully responsible" for the attack, while Hamas has denied any responsibility.
The attack on the convoy has led to a serious crisis between Abbas and Hamas, and destroyed the Egyptian-brokered "reconciliation" agreement between the two sides. Under the current circumstances, any talk about Hamas giving up its security control of the Gaza Strip sounds more like a joke, especially in light of Abbas's accusation that the terror group had tried to kill his prime minister and intelligence chief.
Hamas has spent the last decade arming itself to the teeth. With the help of Iran and other Islamic and Arab terror groups, Hamas managed to smuggle large amounts of weapons into the Gaza Strip through dozens of tunnels along its shared border with Egypt. According to some reports, many of the weapons, including missiles and rockets, were smuggled during the period when Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood was in power between June 2012 and July 2013. Some of the rockets and missiles were later used by Hamas and other Palestinian groups to attack Israel.
In addition, Hamas has thousands of security officers and militiamen who will never agree to serve under Abbas's security forces. This does not mean, however, that they will not accept salaries from Abbas's government.
Abbas, for his part, will never agree to incorporate the Hamas men into his security forces. He cannot, on the one hand, accuse Hamas of being behind the botched assassination attempt on Hamdallah and Faraj, and at the same time include Hamas militiamen and policemen within his security forces.
Ironically, while Abbas is demanding that Hamas disarm and hand over to his government security control of the Gaza Strip, Hamas is talking about its desire to "transfer" its weapons to the West Bank. Abbas wants to extend his authority to the Gaza Strip, while Hamas is seeking to take over the West Bank.
Hamas wants to "transfer" its weapons to the West Bank for two reasons: to overthrow Abbas's regime and to pursue the "armed struggle" against Israel.
Fighting Israel is Hamas's declared goal. Toppling Abbas's regime is its undeclared goal.
The weapons of Hamas are a red line not "to be crossed," said Khalil Al Haya, a senior Hamas official.
"Everyone should stop talking about these weapons, because they will remain to fight Israel. The weapons in the Gaza Strip give power to all Palestinians, including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. These weapons will be transferred to the West Bank. The transfer of the weapons [to the West Bank] will not be enough. They will be used to fight Israel."
Abbas is fortunate to have Israel sitting with him in the West Bank. Otherwise, Hamas would have succeeded in its effort to topple his regime and "transfer" its weapons to the West Bank.
Fortunately for the Palestinians, Israel is sitting in the middle between the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Otherwise, Hamas and Abbas loyalists would be dispatching rockets and suicide bombers against each other. Instead of marching towards "reconciliation" and "unity," Abbas and Hamas have brought their people a new model of the "two-state solution": a Hamas-run emirate in the Gaza Strip and a mini-PLO state in the West Bank. Meanwhile, Abbas will continue to dream of returning to the Gaza Strip, while Hamas will continue to prepare for war against Israel and removing the Palestinian Authority from power.
Hamas To Force Israel's Hand With 'Return March' Of Thousands of Palestinians - By Yoni Ben Menachem -
Hamas has adopted a new method of fighting Israel by using civilians in the same way it did during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 -- as human shields.
The "Return March" planned for Friday is a cynical exploitation of Palestinian refugees and a publicity stunt that has no political benefit.
The refugee problem can only be solved through diplomatic means by a body representing the Palestinians that recognizes Israel's right to exist -- not through a terrorist organization that wants to destroy it.
Even if Hamas makes a huge media impact with its march, within a few weeks it will disappear into a cloud of oblivion.
The military wing of Hamas began a "defense exercise" on March 25 in the Gaza Strip. Sources in Gaza say it is a show of strength in preparation for the large "Return March," which is supposed to take place between Land Day on March 30 and Nakba Day on May 15.
According to these sources, the exercise sends a double message. On the one hand, it is a message to residents of Gaza wanting to participate in the march that there is someone who will defend them from the Israel Defense Forces.
On the other hand, it is a deterrent message to the IDF that harming the marchers will lead to a security escalation. This war could then spread to the borders with the State of Israel, and not be confined only to the Gaza Strip.
The march of a mass of Palestinians towards the border with Israel is not a Palestinian invention. It was first invented by Hezbollah, who tried it on Israel's northern borders on Nakba Day on May 15, 2011.
During that six-hour event, several hundred young Palestinian men and women tried to cross the Lebanese and Syrian borders with Israel. The IDF soldiers at the border were taken by surprise and compelled to open fire. As a result, 10 demonstrators were killed and another 100 were injured.
Now, Hamas is attempting to replicate Hezbollah's exercise and turn this into an event that will last several weeks. Its basic premise is that the large media presence on the Palestinian side will provide enough protection for the Palestinian marchers to overcome the "fear barrier," approach the border fence with Israel, and try to cross it.
In Hamas' estimation, IDF soldiers will act with great caution and won't use live ammunition due to the media presence among the marchers.
No country in the world would agree to tens of thousands of demonstrators, accompanied by various kinds of media, infiltrating their borders and trying to get into their territory. Hamas is making cynical use of Palestinian refugees living in the Gaza Strip as cannon fodder against the IDF, who have to protect the border fence and cannot allow infiltration.
According to a report by the Quds Press news agency on March 7, one of the activists involved in the media campaign for the return march is Zaher al-Birawi. He is an activist affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, who also bears the title "liaison for the international committee for breaking the embargo on the Gaza Strip." In the past, he held a key position among the organizers of marches and flotillas to Gaza.
The planned "Return March" is similar to the incident of the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010, which was organized by Turkey and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Fatah sources in Gaza report that Hamas is encouraging residents to go to the area of the border with Israel and take part in marches toward the fence. Several Hamas activists have even promised payment for participating in these activities.
According to these sources, Hamas is interested in provoking an escalation that will lead to many casualties on the Palestinian side in order to place the Palestinian issue firmly on the top of the world agenda.
The avowed purpose of the "grand return march" is to show that the Palestinians have not given up on the "right of return" for Palestinian refugees or "houses and property" as defined by UN Resolution 194.
The organizers claim that the Palestinian initiative was provoked by US President Donald Trump's cuts to UNRWA's budget and reports that the current US administration will recommend in a final status agreement that refugees will settle in the places where they currently live -- in other Arab countries.
Even if Hamas succeeds in attracting the attention of the world's media by fomenting an escalation at the border with Gaza, it is clear that this move will have no political benefit.
According to Palestinian data, there are around seven million Palestinian refugees around the world. Israel will not destroy its own national identity by absorbing the Palestinians within its boundaries as they demand, changing Israel's demographic map.
Their problem needs to be solved with the cooperation of the international community. Tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees marching to the Gaza border will not solve the problem. If anything, it will only frighten the Israel public and discourage any attempt to resolve the refugee issue.
The Hamas march actually disregards the fate of Palestinian refugees. Hamas does not have any real ability to get them across the border into Israeli territory. The IDF will prevent this, and even if a few individuals do manage to cross the border, they will either be injured or arrested.
How long can thousands of Palestinian residents live in tents close to the border fence without proper infrastructure or food? In the end, will they understand that Hamas is using them for its own political purposes?
Conditions in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, coupled with the regional and international situation, are not currently conducive to finding a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem, and neither marches nor parades will help.
It's a shame about all the blood that may be spilled. It's an irresponsible move by a terror organization that has no scruples about using the residents of Gaza as "human shields" during a time of war, as it did during Operation Protective Edge in 2014.
Hamas is trying to adopt a new strategy of using civilians to fight against Israel. It calls it a "non-violent popular struggle," similar to Mahmoud Abbas' strategy in the West Bank, which he refers to as "popular, peaceful resistance."
Both of these strategies are bound to fail and they have no bearing on a solution for the problems of the Palestinian people.
Deadly march against Israel - Bill Wilson -
The ancient prophet Zechariah wrote a prophecy from the Lord: "I will make Jerusalem a cup that will stagger the surrounding peoples...When that day comes, I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who try to lift it will hurt themselves, and all the earth's nations will be massed against her." This prophecy taken directly from the Hebrew translation speaks of the Day of the Lord, but a type and shadow of this prophecy is playing out before our very eyes in Israel as "Palestinian" forces amass on Israel's borders with Gaza. Interestingly enough, the headlines were very similar exactly six years ago today when the Arab world began a Global March on Jerusalem.
March 30, 2012: The organizers of the Global March on Jerusalem said it would be peaceful. They knew full well, however, that Israel would not let them cross the borders from the nations surrounding Israel. It is reported that tens of thousands of Islamists were flown in from Iran and Indonesia and were trained by Hezbollah and other terrorist groups for this "peaceful" March. Already, the Facebook page for the march shows images of anti-Israel and anti-American protesters throwing and burning things to protest what Islam believes is an occupation of Arab land. One caption on Facebook read "Within the events of the World March towards Jerusalem. Thousands of Indians participated in the walk and burn the Zionist flag."
In 2012, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, India, Iran, Indonesia, Egypt, and more were participating in the event that coincides with the annual protest of what the terrorists believe to be Israeli "occupation." Today, the Great March of Return was organized by the terrorist group Hamas and is using Gaza as a staging ground to move against Israel. This violent act in the name of peace coincides with "Land Day," which Arabs believe is the right of return of "Palestinians" to Israel. Of course, these Arabs schedule these land grab protests during the Jewish holy celebration of Passover when God led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and eventually settled them in the land promised to Abraham and his decedents, where today's Israel is located.
In 2012, Debkafile reported Israel forces opened fire to halt "Palestinian" demonstrators marching on the Gaza-Israeli border and crossings. Today, YNET News reports that Israeli forces opened fire to halt "Palestinian" demonstrators marching on the Gaza-Israel border and crossings. Six years ago around 20,000 Palestinians were reportedly marching toward the Israeli border. Today, it was reported that 17,000 "Palestinians" were marching toward the Israeli border. We can see that each year about the same things happen on the same days. The traditional enemies of Israel simulating an end time attack. While this is not the fulfillment of the Zechariah prophecy, it is a very real demonstration of how it can quickly play out.
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