Before the body of Yassir Arafat had even grown cold, there was a glimmer of hope for some that the
Roadmap to Peace would be resumed in the Middle East, specifically between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Israelis, who refused to negotiate with Arafat, were now looking forward to hammering out a peace deal with his most likely successor, Mahmoud Abbas. And indeed, Abbas overwhelmingly won the election on January 9. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was quick to
congratulate Abbas two days later.
Ah, but the status quo was
resumed on January 13 at the Karzi Terminal, a crossing point between Israel and the Gaza Strip. It was then and there that Palestinian militants (Hamas, the Popular Resistance, and Al-Aqsa Brigade all claim responsibility) blasted their way in and opened fire on Israeli civilians, killing six and wounding five. The IDF returned fire and killed three militants.
The next day, Israel suspended all contact with the Palestinian Authority with the following statement issued by an Israel spokesman: "The prime minister has ordered suspension of all contacts with Palestinian Authority representatives and the closure of all Gaza terminals until real steps are taken against terrorist acts." You can't blame Israel for their response.
Well, today Abbas has ordered a crackdown against all Palestinian militants in hopes to get control of the situation and broker peace between Israel and the PA. Now we may finally see if there is any authority behind the Palestinian Authority. If the PA is not able to police itself, the IDF stands ready to do it for them.
So here at the beginning of the post-Arafat Palestine, the moment of truth is at hand. Keep watch.
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