Al Qaida In Palestine
Two news articles out of Israel herald the arrival of al Qaida members in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Jerusalem Post reports that Palestinian security forces have arrested one extremist in Gaza, and quotes a senior Palestinian source as saying several other members are spreading the group's ideology.
The Jerusalem News Wire translated comments by Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to the al-Hayat paper in London: "We have indications about a presence of Al-Qaida in Gaza and the (West) Bank," he said. "This is intelligence information. We have not yet reached the point of arrests."
The JNW wrote: "Local Al Qaeda cells are likely to find themselves operating with little or no hindrance after Abbas transfers control of the "Palestinian" security forces - all of them - to Hamas sometime later this month."
A Hamas spokesman told the Jerusalem Post the organization had no intelligence of al Qaida's presence. "If the things Abu Mazen (Abbas) said are true, then the matter must be handled immediately," he said.
The Guardian quotes acting Israeli president Ehud Omert as saying, "We know of, and are monitoring, attempts by international terrorist elements to infiltrate areas close to us. One must not forget that Islamic Jihad and Hamas are also part of the global terrorist movement, and have always received support and assistance from international terrorist elements, thus the ability to discern a link between terrorist elements in the territories and international terrorism is neither surprising nor new."
The newspaper stated that Israel has said it believes al-Qaida penetrated the Gaza strip through the Egyptian border during the upheaval around the Israeli pullout from the territory last year.
Hamas delegates are in Russia for a critical political roadshow. Ahead of that meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said this morning that Hamas needs to transform itself into a political party and turn its military wing into a legitimate part of the Palestinian Authority's security structure. "I don't think Hamas will have ... any future if Hamas doesn't change," Lavrov told reporters.
Hamas, meanwhile, is saying it will not recognize Israel. That is "decided," exiled leader Khaled Mashaal declared today.
March 5 update: Thanks, but no thanks. Hamas says it doesn't want al Qaida's help.