Fatah may be finished in Gaza:
Hamas launched a full-scale attack Tuesday afternoon against Fatah security bases and positions in Gaza, and succeeded in taking over a number of them, Israel Radio reported.
Hamas-affiliated television said that the organization overtook the entire northern section of the Gaza Strip. After airing the report, the station was attacked by PA security forces and forced to play pro-Fatah songs…
Less then an hour after the attack, Abbas called for an immediate cease-fire…
Also on Tuesday afternoon, Fatah announced that within several hours, the faction would decide whether to stay in the unity government with Hamas, or leave the Palestinian Authority government altogether, Israel Radio reported.
The announcement coincided with a Hamas attack on the National Security headquarters in Gaza, an incident which followed a recent threat of such action by the extremist Islamic faction. National Security is one of the armed forces affiliated with Fatah.
Hamas also announced that Fatah must evacuate all buildings used by Military Intelligence, the Revolutionary Guard, National Security and Preventive Security. — Jerusalem Post
Hamas has consistently beaten Fatah militarily. There’s no substitute for motivation, even large amounts of American aid — just look at Iraq (or, historically, Vietnam).
If Fatah leaves the government, there will be no way for the EU or the US to fund Palestinian terrorism without admitting that they are funding Palestinian terrorism. Personally, I’d like to see the fig leaf stripped away, especially since Fatah is also a terrorist organization.
The US will do its best to keep Fatah in the government. We’ll soon find out if this is possible, and how much it will cost.
Update [1936 PDT]: Fatah has really gotten its clock cleaned in Gaza. Welcome to Hamastan!
Update [2110 PDT]: 37 are dead in two days of fighting. Hamas has captured large amounts of US-supplied weapons and ammunition from Fatah, as everyone knew would happen. I hope that the idiotic idea of intervening on behalf of Fatah does not get any play in Israel — and that the US does not try to push Israel in this direction.