Stung by the Scorpion

by Dr. Reuven Berko

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' hope that the unity deal with Hamas would embarrass Israel was short-lived • The abduction of the Israeli teens exposed Hamas as essentially plotting to depose him.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Damage control | Photo credit: Reuters

Israel's efforts to explain to the West the criminal nature of the unity deal between Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas' government of hypocrites and technocrats have proven to be useless. Perhaps because the West was convinced by Abbas' speech before the Arab League, where he apparently unintentionally called for the return of our abducted boys and infuriated Hamas leadership, which in turn rushed to launch missiles at southern Israel. And maybe the West only turns it attention to our region when the IDF "kills terrorists" in an "inappropriate" fashion, according to European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, otherwise known as the EU's minister of morality. 

Hamas has long since been identified by Egypt as a terrorist entity which constitutes, with the help of Qatar, a part of radical Islam's elements currently running amok throughout the Arab world. As Egypt has been able to neutralize the organization both financially and operationally, and because Iranian, Syrian, and Lebanese funds have dried up, Hamas has found itself in dire straits and therefore agreed to the reconciliation with the PA. It did this without abandoning its goals, to escape the grip of the Israeli-Egyptian vice, and with the objective of removing Abbas from power and expanding Hamas' control in Judea and Samaria.

The PA, from its perspective, hoped the "reconciliation" agreement would win it legal and legitimate status among international bodies, in order to squeeze concessions from Israel without giving anything in return. Hamas, however, plotted and schemed to embarrass Abbas, expose him as an Israeli collaborator and expel him from power in disgrace, which is why it perpetrated the kidnapping only after ducking underneath Abbas' umbrella of patronage.

Because the prisoner issue is at the heart of the Palestinian agenda, Hamas readied itself to score more points in an area it has already proven itself successful. Therefore, the triple abduction was meant to be the first stage, until the hostages could be secured in their holding cells, without taking responsibility. This plan was supposed to prove dividends for Hamas without, at least in the beginning, leaving any official trace of responsibility, knowing that the Palestinian people would be amenable.

Much like the scorpion that stung the frog while being carried across the river on its back, Hamas stung Abbas, and now they are both drowning. Now it even appears that the elections for the PA leadership, in six-months time, will not be held as scheduled.

The world is silent

Indeed, Abbas has been hit from all sides. He withdrew to his office, hesitated to condemn the kidnapping, tried downplaying his people's involvement and absurdly accused Israel of responsibility for the fiasco, claiming it took place in an area controlled by Israel. The list of damages incurred by the PA is enormous: Similar to the collapse of the Iraqi army under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) offensive, Abbas has been painted a worthless leader incapable of providing security and stability to his people.

The triple abduction is a constitutive event that will influence the nature of current cooperation and any future deal with the PA, now that it has been proven to be fragile and untrustworthy under fire. The PA's lack of governmental backbone, its hypocrisy and the incitement of its citizens have led to a situation in which Israeli forces are operating inside PA-controlled territory and the world is silent. The abduction created unalterable suspicion between the PA and Hamas, and will serve as a death blow to the group's infrastructure in Judea and Samaria. The Palestinians are also uninterested in importing the Islamic slaughter, currently being perpetrated in the region, to Judea and Samaria. Meanwhile, it is also clear that the PA will never again rule in Gaza. The kidnapping will lead to worse conditions for Hamas prisoners in Israeli jails, the return of an increasing number of prisoners released in the Gilad Schalit deal to their rightful place in Israeli jails, and even more painful punitive measures against Hamas in Gaza as well.

On the eve of Palestinian reconciliation Israel expected the West's understanding that Hamas is part of the murderous system of terror currently taking place in Iraq and Syria -- but apathy won the day. While massacres in the name of Allah are being perpetrated unabated in Syria, Iraq and other places, it appears the hand of Ismail does not spare Christians in the Middle East either. The pope, who met with the Palestinian mufti, asked him diplomatically, somewhat naively, that the Muslims stop killing in the name of God. 

Early this month, Sheikh Munir al-Ghadban, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, passed away. According to his doctrine, Islam is the supreme religion that will rule the world by sword. This is to be done through threats and fear mongering, assassinating rivals, the mass murder of Jews, all in the name of Allah and with his agreement. The realistic materialization of this vision is Islam's attempt to seize control of "heretic" Arab states and establish in their stead armed and violent Islamic enclaves.

These groups, such as al-Qaida in Afghanistan, the Nusra Front and ISIS ‎in Syria and Iraq, and the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Egypt, Sinai and Gaza, would essentially be military emirates, paving the way for an Islamic caliphate. The Islamist enclaves in Europe and America will also wage a similar battle, although U.S. President Barack Obama still doesn't know it.

The mask has been removed

While the Muslim Brotherhood was outlawed in Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, the West supported the false Palestinian unity government. Perhaps it is the idiotic perceptions characteristic of Western leaders, who are so distant from the Islamic culture of death. Or perhaps they are purposefully burying their heads in the sand. Europe, after all, is known for making secret deals with terrorists, on condition that they don't attack in their territory.

It appears that the PA leadership is still uninterested in importing Hamas and ISIS into its territory. As stated, in his speech to the Islamic League, Abbas condemned the kidnappers and emphasized that another Intifada will ruin the Palestinians. Abbas declared, too late, that the PA's intelligence services will help find the kidnapped teenagers; he cynically called them the kidnapper's illegitimate "bounty" and vowed to help return them home.

With that, the abduction removed the two-faced mask from Abbas' face. While he was talking peace, his people were encouraging abductions and incited toward our demise. 

As for the pharaohs of Hamas, the following Arab allegory: "Every pharaoh has his Moses." Indeed, Moshe (Moses) Ya'alon, Israel's defense minister, is currently preparing a series of harsh plagues for the abduction of our boys. In actuality, he has already begun delivering them.

Dr. Reuven Berko

Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=18269

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