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Day 41 – Sometimes Violent Fatah, Hamas Disagreements; Sderot-Ashkelon Train Suspended

by TheTower.org Staff |

Today was the forty first day of Operation Protective Edge

Fatah officials claim that as many as 250 members of the group living in Gaza have been arrested by Hamas.

One Fatah official, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal against his party members in Gaza, told The Times of Israel on Sunday that as many as 250 Fatah members in the Strip have been told by Hamas to stay home throughout Operation Protective Edge, and as many as 125 were shot at by Hamas operatives when they refused to comply. Ten victims of gunshots to the legs have been transferred to hospitals in Ramallah and Nablus in the West Bank, he added.

“They [Hamas] don’t want Fatah’s voice to appear in Gaza,” the official said. “They may be afraid of a Fatah revolution.”

With the current ceasefire set to expire at midnight Monday, the Palestinians can’t agree on the proposed Egyptian ceasefire plan.

The Palestinians appeared divided Sunday as the clock was winding down on the latest Gaza ceasefire, with officials saying Hamas was still opposed to a compromise Egyptian proposal that would ease the closure of the territory, while other factions, including delegates representing President Mahmoud Abbas, were inclined to accept.

Hamas officials said they were holding out in hopes of getting more concessions in the Egyptian-mediated talks. With a temporary truce set to expire late Monday, a range of outcomes remained possible, including a return to fighting that has brought great devastation to Gaza, an unofficial understanding that falls short of a formal negotiated deal or yet another extension in negotiations.

With the current ceasefire set to expire tomorrow night at midnight, Israel has ordered the suspension of the Ashkelon-Sderot train line in fear of anti-tank fire from Gaza.

Israel Railways announced that train service between Ashkelon and Sderot would be suspended for fear of an attack on trains in parts near the border with the Strip.

The decision to shut down the line until further notice differs from previous such directives – not only because it was announced during a ceasefire – but because the Defense Ministry directed the company to fortify the line against anti-tank fire.

The Tower today covered the op-ed in The Washington Post written by Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Don’t set a double standard for Israel on norms of war. Part of Sharansky’s argument was that while the was perfectly justified in fighting the likes of Slobodan Milosevic and al Qaeda – despite civilian deaths – “the obligation of the IDF to protect Israeli citizens from thousands of missiles and from underground terrorist infiltrations is just as sacred.”

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