Hamas Gaza update

That law and order established in Gaza that Hamas bragged about? Well, maybe not so much. It’s red on red again, and of course, the bystanders are getting hurt.

Fierce clashes have been taking place between Hamas and Islamic Jihad gunmen in Gaza Wednesday afternoon and evening.

On Tuesday, members of Hamas’ task force tried to arrest a Palestinian man who fired in the air during a wedding in the Sajaiya neighborhood in Gaza City. The man fled to the house of an Islamic Jihad senior member and hid there, but was chased by Hamas members who encircled the house and demanded that he turn himself in.

Both groups began calling in forces, and only the intervention of public figures prevented a clash from erupting.

However, on Wednesday members of Hamas retuned to the place, started taking pictures of the house and arrested the bodyguard of one of the Jihad’s senior leaders, Sheikh Nafez Azzam.

After Hams tried to kidnap a second Jihad member, fire exchanges erupted between the two sides. Four Jihad members and a bystander have been wounded so far, according to witnesses.

Kinda puts the lie to the little guided tour of Gaza reporters got the other day.

Never mind the international isolation, growing poverty and reports of violent retribution against its defeated Fatah rivals. In Hamas’ own eyes, its takeover of Gaza has made the coastal strip “safe, clean and green.”

In an attempt to get that message across, Hamas took two busloads of foreign journalists on an air conditioned tour of Gaza on Monday – including a stop in a refugee camp where the deposed prime minister waved from his balcony and a prison visit hosted by one of Hamas’ most powerful military men.

Hamas officials said they were worried about the negative publicity they have received since taking over Gaza in June.

Journalists walked 500 yards into Gaza across a mortar-pocked no man’s land from Israel and boarded the buses, accompanied by a convoy of security vehicles carrying heavily armed men. Gaza traffic was halted to make way for the visitors.

The tour was colorful and revealing – a glimpse into how the Islamic militants see themselves and want to be seen.

[…] The tour ended with a speech by Haniyeh at an upscale Gaza City hotel. To get there, the buses drove along the beach, where thousands of Gazans have been flocking since Hamas’ takeover improved the internal security situation in Gaza. Veiled women sat waist-deep in the ocean with their children as Hamas security forces guarded the beach. Haniyeh described how Hamas’ takeover had ended factional fighting and the murderous chaos that had taken over Gaza’s streets. Father Musallam sat next to Haniyeh, who began his speech by saying Christians were “a very important part of our people.”

“We do not want to establish an Islamic state in the Gaza Strip,” Haniyeh said.

Uh-huh. And you don’t want people to think you’re controlling the news either, right? Right? Wrong.

The Islamist Hamas movement Wednesday banned Palestinian public television from making or broadcasting any programs in Gaza, which has been under Hamas control since mid-June, an official said.

“We have received a letter signed by the Hamas government information ministry, saying that they have decided to ban production or broadcast of our television programs from the Gaza Strip,” a senior official with the television station said on condition of anonymity, fearing reprisals.

Palestinian public television has been under the control of President Mahmoud Abbas for more than a year.

However, it has been effectively closed – its equipment seized and employees prevented from entering the premises – since Hamas overran pro-Abbas forces in Gaza June 15, taking control there after a week of bloody fighting.

Hamas has accused the TV station of being partisan in its coverage.

Well, in the good news department, the Russians have said they’re downgrading ties with Hamas. Whether they truly are or not remains to be seen.