A plan to create a new foothold in Gaza for the Palestinian Authority and to bring in international monitors was being drawn up by diplomats Friday as a U.N. cease-fire call was dismissed by both sides, the Times of London reports.

Full Article

So, replacing the newer terrorist organization with the older terrorist organization (Arafat’s people, nonetheless) will end the fighting?  Also, are we ignoring the fact that Hamas was elected to power?

Hamas legislators Thursday called for wholesale executions of security officers who are loyal to the rival Fatah faction and one lawmaker demanded that Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas stand trial. The legislators’ statement that “high treason…requires the death penalty” was a reaction to the Fatah crackdown on Hamas in Judea and Samaria.

Full Article

The Palestinian civil war is about to kick it up a notch, it seems. However, as stated in the past, I honestly support Israel dealing with Hamas over Fatah. The reason: Hamas is straight-forward in its position on destroying Israel; they aren’t playing the “we can live in peace” game while at the same time engaging in terrorist activities. An honest enemy is much easier to deal with than a duplicitous one.

Israel Approves Release of 200 Palestinian Prisoners
By Robert Berger

Israel’s Cabinet has approved the release of about 200 Palestinian prisoners in a goodwill gesture to Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. In a change of policy, Israel will include two prisoners involved in deadly attacks on Israelis.

Article Continues… (VOA)

Is it just me, or does this seem horribly stupid? A bunch of terrorists are being released for no other reason than to teach Hamas that peaceful negotiations work better than violence. So, the lesson as I see it: negotiate now, get your people out of Israeli prisons so you have a stronger army, then attack. Is this what Israel wants? It’s probably what they’ll get.

Abbas’s PA Sentences Man to Death for Fighting Terrorism
By Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

A Palestinian Authority court in the city of Hevron sentenced a 25-year-old man to death Monday for giving Israel information that led to the elimination of four terrorists. The condemned man, Emad Saad, did not deny the charges.

Article Continues… (Arutz Sheva)

Seems a bit of a mixed message from Fatah, huh?

‘Peace partner’ websites call Jerusalem attack ‘heroic’
By Aaron Klein

JERUSALEM — While Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was quick to condemn today’s deadly shooting massacre in Jerusalem, news websites affiliated with Abbas’ Fatah organization labeled the attack “heroic.”

“In a heroic act of martyrdom, at least one hero infiltrated a Zionist school in occupied Jerusalem,” stated the beginning of a news dispatch on Fatah’s Firas Press website translated by WND.

Article Continues… (WND)

Abu Mazen is, quite simply, the western-press-friendly face of Fatah. I have no doubt that he agrees with the website and is lying to try and cover the Palestinian agenda.

‘Hamas using US weapons against IDF’
By Khaled Abu Toameh

According to Palestinian sources in the Gaza Strip, most of the gunmen who have been fighting the IDF over the past few days are members of Hamas’s armed wing, Izaddin Kassam.

“At least 2,000 Hamas gunmen have been deployed in the northern Gaza Strip to take part in the fighting,” the sources told The Jerusalem Post.

The sources estimated that Izaddin Kassam has at least 15,000 members divided into four brigades in the Gaza Strip.

They added that the Hamas gunmen were using many American-made arms seized from the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority security forces in June.

Article Continues… (Jerusalem Post)

First of all, Fatah is not the “peace partner” Ehud Olmert and Condoleeza Rice make them out to be. Second, with all the warring factions in the Palestinian areas, there’s a pretty good chance any weapons given to any one of those groups will eventually be used against Israel by someone. Need I continue?

By DPA

Tel Aviv – Israel condemned Monday’s suicide bombing in its southern city of Dimona, but said it would continue peace talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. “Today’s attack deliberately targeted innocent civilians. Worse yet, the terrorists’ plan was to detonate a second suicide bomb against the rescue workers and ambulances rushing to assist the victims at the scene of the initial bombing,” Israeli Foreign Minister Spokesman Arieh Mekel said.

Article Continues… (Earth Times)

Fatah groups are claiming responsibility, yet Israel is still negotiating with them? Insane!

Fatah will fight alongside Hamas if and when the IDF launches a military operation in the Gaza Strip, a senior Fatah official in Gaza City said Thursday.

“Fatah won’t remain idle in the face of an Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip,” the official said. “We will definitely fight together with Hamas against the Israeli army. It’s our duty to defend our people against the occupiers.”

The Fatah official said his faction would place political differences aside and form a joint front against Israel if the IDF enters the Gaza Strip. “The homeland is more important than all our differences,” he said.

Full Article (Jerusalem Post)

Does this surprise anyone?

by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz

(IsraelNN.com) The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is deliberating a proposed statement calling on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas to change the Fatah charter, which calls to “eradicate” Israel. US Congressmen have submitted a similar resolution in the House of Representatives.

Full Article (Arutz Sheva)

I doubt it’ll change anything, but at least somebody is addressing this.