Hamas has ruled Gaza with an iron fist for 17 years and has shown zero tolerance for Palestinian protests – which at all events have been rare with miniscule numbers of participants. So, the public protests last week against Hamas in Gaza with hundreds of participants calling for a cessation of the war with Israel and an end to Hamas’s rule, and which seemed to grow by the day until Hamas finally cracked down, were truly remarkable.
Significantly, we think, The New York Times headlined its news report, “Gazans Demand End to 18 Years of Hamas Rule and the Wall Street Journal went with, “Hamas’s Hold on Gaza Shows Signs of Cracking.”
And while no one ever knows for sure about these things, we are intrigued not only by the advent of the anti-Hamas outcry, but that it was allowed to continue for several days. Plainly, something is afoot in Gaza. And logic would seem to dictate that the spectacular Israeli military successes have transformed the region and it’s showing more and more.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the tolerance for protest was attributable, in part, to the fact that Hamas leaders were loath to add to the misery after last Monday night’s devastating Israeli air strike and, interestingly, also to their reduced ability to mobilize forces under the threat of Israeli air strikes. And further, Hamas’s internal security force, which specializes in silencing critics, has been almost completely decimated by the Israeli military.
Of course, as The Wall Street Journal reports, Israeli officials still openly concede that Hamas remains a potent force in Gaza and that it won’t be deposed without a major ground offensive. And they cite Hamas’s position that while it is willing to discuss turning over the civil affairs of Gaza to another entity, it remains adamant that disarming is out of the question.
Hopefully, though, a little more of the same from the IDF will cause further rupture in Hamas from within and the decision will be taken away from them.
