Yourish.com

This looks like a hit to me:

Palestinian gunmen turned their weapons away from each other and towards Israel Monday evening, hurling grenades and opening fire towards IDF soldiers manning the Erez Crossing.

The troops responded with fire. At least one Palestinian was killed – a senior member of Fatah, and a number more were wounded. Palestinian sources said all the casualties were hurt by Palestinian gunfire.

None of the Israeli soldiers were hurt in the incident.

Palestinians identified the casualty as Jihad al-Madhoun, a Fatah activist wanted by Hamas who was apparently specifically targeted.

At first glance, it seems like the Palestinians were trying to make a break through the crossing. But then the article details this:

An initial investigation of the incident found that the Palestinian gunmen reached the crossing from the Palestinian side and open fire towards the crowds gathered there.

The fire endangered the IDF troops at the crossing, and so they responded by opening fire in return.

Funny how the dead man just happens to be high up on a Hamas hit list, isn’t it?

It was a hit. Hamas is so ballsy right now, they hit Fatah in front of the IDF, while trying to make it look like the IDF caused the casualties.

Ha’aretz has more:

Palestinian sources said a gunman on a bicycle came close to the area where the civilians were waiting and threw a grenade and fired several bursts at the people.

[…] Masked Hamas gunmen have erected a roadblock outside the terminal to keep waves of people from rushing to the border, and to look for Fatah officials trying to escape.

On several occasions, gunmen, some from Hamas and others from warring clans, have run into the tunnel, which leads to the border terminal, and fired at those waiting, only to be driven off by Israeli fire and tear gas, witnesses said.

Yep. A hit. They knew he was there. And Hamas has proven they don’t give a damn about civilian casualties, particularly since all the Palestinians in the tunnel are Fatah-affiliated.

Charming people. Let’s give them a state.

Ted Belman thinks so. He says the US and Israel urged Abbas to let Hamas have Gaza so it can sink under its own weight.

I’m not buying it. An Islamic theocracy funded and backed by Iran and Syria, on Egypt and Israel’s borders, is not a desired neighbor, and Hamas has proven itself adept at surviving everything but IAF Hellfire missiles.

Occam’s razor, Ted. Fatah Khaled Abu Toameh thinks Fatah’s loss was inevitable.

The writing was on the wall because Hamas had already inflicted heavy casualties on Fatah in previous rounds of fighting over the past year. In addition, it was clear that Hamas was eventually going to take over the entire Gaza Strip, because of the anarchy and disunity among the Fatah-controlled Palestinian security forces and their commanders. It was obvious that Fatah was going to lose, because the masses were not going to take to the streets to defend leaders living in villas and driving luxury cars.

There is also the fact that Fatah may have had numerical superiority, but numerical superiority has never amounted to anything if the soldiers have neither the training nor the will to fight. The Arab armies have had the numerical superiority in all of Israel’s wars, and yet, Israel remains.

Hamas had the will. Fatah did not. Abbas didn’t even order his soldiers to fight back until it was too late. That alone speaks volumes.

You have to appreciate the irony of this, especially since I’ve been saying all along about them much of what the Pals are now saying about each other:

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday rejected a request by the head of the Arab League to meet with supreme Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, an Abbas aide said.

Abbas received a call from Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, who offered to arrange such a meeting, said the aide, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Abbas vehemently turned down the offer, the aide said.

Earlier Saturday, Abbas adviser Yasser Abed Rabbo told a news conference that the president will not engage in a dialogue with killers, referring to Hamas.

It was just peachy meeting with Hamas when they were only the killers of Jews. But now that they are the killers of Palestinians, well, that’s a different story.

And the truths just keep on coming. Hamas has suddenly discovered the means to release BBC reporter Alan Johnston, whom they’ve been holding in the first place.

The captors of kidnapped journalist Alan Johnston have promised to release the British Broadcasting Corp. correspondent within 24 hours, a source close to the negotiations said Friday.

Hamas’ armed wing issued a statement Friday, saying it was in an advanced stage of negotiations and “begun practical steps to secure [Johnston’s] release.”

In Damascus, Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal said he was in contact with Hamas operatives in Gaza to secure the release of Johnston.

[…] Johnston, 45, was snatched in Gaza three months ago by a group believed to have links to Hamas, and a message purporting to be from his captors has demanded the release of Islamic prisoners, including a cleric being held in Britain.

Translation: “Holy crap, our PR is bad after murdering all those Fatah guys and civilians. Let’s throw the infidels a bone to shut them up.”

Meantime, the West Bank Palestinians apparently look down their noses on the Gazan Palestinians. Wow. Even the Pals don’t like the Pals.

Ramallah residents Thursday dismissed the possibility of Hamas taking over the West Bank. In Gaza, “there are tribes and clans like in the Jahiliyyah [pre-Islam] era,” said one, Qassem. “Here, in the West Bank, we’re more civilized, educated. It’s a different nation, not like in Gaza.”

And here is a comment on the Hamas military methods (along with that infamous mercy, justice, and tolerance thrown in):

“They’re using the same methods as the Israelis, and even worse,” a senior Palestinian source said. “They declare an area a closed military zone and shoot anyone who goes out into the street. Hamasniks strip Fatah men they capture, humiliate and beat them. They go from door to door with lists to hunt down Fatah people and execute them.”

Fatah’s military defeat was mainly caused by the split in the organization, he said: “All the forces are identified with Fatah, but each force fought independently against Hamas, which was united and better trained.”

Fatah officials in the West Bank spoke with contempt about Hamas in Gaza. “Let’s see how they manage now, after they’ve won, running things like water and power from Israel,” one official said. “How will they cooperate with Israel over the border crossings?”

Yes, the world is going to wait for Gaza to sink into the mire. But here’s the thing: Hamas has already proven itself adept at smuggling cash, weapons, and munitions into Gaza. Now that they control the border crossings previously run by the corrupt Fatah thugs, will it be an open faucet? Will Egypt continue to turn a blind eye to the arming of Hamas?

Iran shows no sign of turning off the money spigot any time soon. I’m not going to jump on the “Wait for Hamas to crash and burn” bandwagon. I think that they have just managed to subjugate an entire people. They’re rounding up weapons from anyone outside Hamas. The first step in a dicatatorship: Remove the opposition party. Second step: Disarm the populace. Third step: Initiate your new laws, enforced by your thugs, who are now the only ones in your state allowed to bear arms. Hamas has initiated or completed all of these steps.

Watch for the Islamic theocracy to arise from the ashes of Gaza. The people are used to being subjugated by their leaders. They will bow just as easily under the Hamas yoke, particularly after we see a few public executions and beatings for “un-Islamic” activity.

This is a bad, bad, bad thing for Israel, the region, and the world, as I’ve said several times already. The U.S. and EU are now going to pressure Israel into easing up on the West Bank to make Hamas look bad. Well, PIJ is still in the West Bank, and so is Al Aqsa, and so is Hamas, and the PFLP. They’re still trying to launch terror attacks. And they’re still shooting, stoning, and knifing any Israeli that happens to be in the path of a terrorist with a stone, a knife, or a gun.

The regional balance has been completely altered. Iran has its front in Gaza, ready to go at a moment’s notice, in concert with its front in Lebanon. And then there’s Syria, waiting to jump in as well.

Dangerous times.