Hamas rejects
call for ceasefire
Mahmoud Abbas certainly didn't have a honeymoon as president of the
PA, and while attempting to rein in the Fatah-connected militants, the
terrorists in Hamas are outright
rejecting calls to halt attacks on Israel.
In a first step against militants, Palestinian leader
Mahmoud Abbas ordered his security forces today to try to prevent
attacks against Israel and to investigate a shooting at a Gaza Strip
crossing that killed six Israeli civilians last week.
However, it was unclear how the order would be translated into
action, if at all.
Abbas insists he will use persuasion, not force, to rein in armed
groups, and a Hamas spokesman said the Islamic militant group will
continue carrying out attacks.
Until somebody proves differently, I will believe that Abbas
honestly pursues an end to the armed attacks. His previous struggles
with Arafat certainly supports his credibility as a man of piece.
However, intentions and outcome are rarely coincidental, and we will
now find out if Abbas has the power to halt the terrorist attacks. So
far, it doesn't look good, but honestly we shouldn't expect one man to
be able to change the terror mentality in a few weeks. Sooner or
later, however, patience will run out in Israel and Washington DC.
5:19:28 PM 
|
