Gaza’s Spiral into Anarchy

Hey, it’s their headline, not mine.

Campaigning is under way in the first Palestinian parliamentary election for 10 years. But the talk in Gaza is not so much of issues and policies and the prospects for parties.

The focus is more on the law and chronic problems, and whether the polls will be held at all.

Foreigners have been kidnapped. And every day there are angry anti-government protests. Public buildings are stormed as armed demonstrators demand jobs, or sometimes the release of prisoners.

There have been attacks on police stations, clan feuds and clashes between militia groups.

This looks bad. It’s time to spin.

All this has to be kept in context. Much of the upheaval has been confined to the south, and to the town of Rafah in particular – and much of the turmoil has about it an element of show.

There have been few casualties, and very little serious, sustained violence. Protesting gunmen who occupy government buildings often leave as soon as they have made their point.

Yes, the violence is only about making a point. If only we could find somebody to blame …

But the disturbances are more frequent now, and they are generating a sense of insecurity that deeply disturbs people here.

The chaos has its roots in many problems.

This society has been radicalised and traumatised by its confrontation with the Israelis, who occupied Gaza decades ago and only evacuated their settlers and troops last summer.

Yeah, it’s the fault of the Jews in Israel. That’s why the Palestinians have no problems with any of their other neighbors. For those who believe this, stop reading now.

Palestinians steal bulldozers, smash through border wall

Hundreds of angry Palestinians streamed into Egypt on Wednesday after militants with stolen bulldozers broke through a border wall, and two Egyptian troops were killed and 30 were wounded by gunfire in the rampage.

About 3,000 Egyptian Interior Ministry troops who initially had no orders to fire swarmed the border but were forced to withdraw about a half-mile, said security forces Lt. Sameh el-Antablyan, who announced the casualties.

Gen. Essam el-Sheikh said Egyptian forces later began firing back.

The scene was one of utter chaos. An Egyptian armored vehicle was burning and hundreds of Palestinians could be seen crouched in farm fields just inside Egypt.

The militants’ rampage through the southern Gaza town of Rafah underscored the growing lawlessness in Palestinian towns, especially in Gaza, and represented the most brazen challenge to the authority of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

Yup. Sounds like Israel is the only speedbump stopping the Palestinians from forming a civilized society. The Egyptians (and, decades past, the Syrians) are obviously just tools of the dreaded Zionists.

Give the Palestinians a state already. They’re cool, and their fashions are so sheik at anti-almost-anything protests.