Fears of a spillover of violence from Gaza into Judea and Samaria are apparently coming true.
Coming off three days in which some 80 Arabs were killed in Fatah-Hamas warring in Gaza, Wednesday night saw shootings, arsons, mass arrests and building takeovers in Ramallah, Jenin, Shechem and elsewhere in Judea and Samaria.
In Jenin, Fatah terrorists seized a Hamas school, hospital and offices on Wednesday, and 200 Fatah activists marched in Jenin streets and shot in the air, after having burned down a Hamas club center. Al-Aqsa Brigades terror chief Zakhariya Zubeidi announced a ban on all Hamas activity in the city until further notice.
In Ramallah and nearby Bituniyah, Fatah is engaged in rounding up and arresting Hamas commanders from their homes. Hamas reported that armed Fatah men had kidnapped a Ramallah city councilman and burned his office. Two prominent Hamas officials in the araea were shot at in separate incidents, but no one was hurt in those attempts.
South of Ariel, in Salfit, Fatah men burned a Hamas office and raided other offices in the region. In Tul Karem, as well, east of Netanya, a Hamas office was shot at, and two Hamas cars were burnt. Fatah-Hamas gun battles were reported in Shechem and Bethlehem as well.
With Fatah on the run in Gaza, it has now called on Hamas members in Judea and Samaria to renounce their allegiance to Hamas if they do not wish to be harmed. Fatah has begun mass-arrests of Hamas leaders, and Fatah chief Abu Mazen has reportedly ordered a counter-attack in Judea and Samaria.
Analyst Gideon Greenfeld of the Reut Institute says that Israel may soon have to deal with not one, but two Palestinian entities - Hamastan in Gaza and Fatahland in Samaria/Judea. A Hamas victory may work against it, Greenfeld explains, in that it is likely to turn the international community against it, will force Hamas to deal with administrative issues, will sharpen its dispute with Egypt, and more.
One specific ramification of a Hamas victory is that without Hamas recognition of the Oslo Accords, it cannot demand that Israel fulfill its Oslo-obligation to provide a land-corridor between Gaza and Judea. Fatah, however, does recognize Olso.
The Reut Institute is a non-partisan policy team that works pro-bono with the Government of Israel, chiefly in areas of national security and socio-economics.
Coming off three days in which some 80 Arabs were killed in Fatah-Hamas warring in Gaza, Wednesday night saw shootings, arsons, mass arrests and building takeovers in Ramallah, Jenin, Shechem and elsewhere in Judea and Samaria.
In Jenin, Fatah terrorists seized a Hamas school, hospital and offices on Wednesday, and 200 Fatah activists marched in Jenin streets and shot in the air, after having burned down a Hamas club center. Al-Aqsa Brigades terror chief Zakhariya Zubeidi announced a ban on all Hamas activity in the city until further notice.
In Ramallah and nearby Bituniyah, Fatah is engaged in rounding up and arresting Hamas commanders from their homes. Hamas reported that armed Fatah men had kidnapped a Ramallah city councilman and burned his office. Two prominent Hamas officials in the araea were shot at in separate incidents, but no one was hurt in those attempts.
South of Ariel, in Salfit, Fatah men burned a Hamas office and raided other offices in the region. In Tul Karem, as well, east of Netanya, a Hamas office was shot at, and two Hamas cars were burnt. Fatah-Hamas gun battles were reported in Shechem and Bethlehem as well.
With Fatah on the run in Gaza, it has now called on Hamas members in Judea and Samaria to renounce their allegiance to Hamas if they do not wish to be harmed. Fatah has begun mass-arrests of Hamas leaders, and Fatah chief Abu Mazen has reportedly ordered a counter-attack in Judea and Samaria.
Analyst Gideon Greenfeld of the Reut Institute says that Israel may soon have to deal with not one, but two Palestinian entities - Hamastan in Gaza and Fatahland in Samaria/Judea. A Hamas victory may work against it, Greenfeld explains, in that it is likely to turn the international community against it, will force Hamas to deal with administrative issues, will sharpen its dispute with Egypt, and more.
One specific ramification of a Hamas victory is that without Hamas recognition of the Oslo Accords, it cannot demand that Israel fulfill its Oslo-obligation to provide a land-corridor between Gaza and Judea. Fatah, however, does recognize Olso.
The Reut Institute is a non-partisan policy team that works pro-bono with the Government of Israel, chiefly in areas of national security and socio-economics.