The Long War Journal: Pyrrhic Victory Lap

Written by Bill Roggio on January 15, 2005 12:00 PM to The Long War Journal

Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2005/01/pyrrhic_victory.php

Palestinian terrorists openly flaunt their support for the latest attacks on an Israeli checkpoint by conducting a march to celebrate their recent tactical success (hat tip to Rantburg).

Thousands of Palestinians marched in the streets of Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip in what they described as a victory march. The Friday march followed the killing of the Israelis by fighters who mounted their strongest challenge yet to Abbas and his call for resistance groups to lay down their arms.

The march was organised by resistance groups and was seen as a sign of grassroots support for their defiance of Abbas and the battle against occupying Israel.

The fact that such a minor tactical victory can provoke such a large demonstration indicates that this is more than a victory lap for Palestinian terrorists. As Al Jazeera indicates, this march was organized by terrorists to send the message that the terrorists can and will continue to attack Israeli targets; and defy any attempts by the newly elected leaders of the Palestinian Authority to rein in their organizations.

Hamas, the Popular Resistance Committees and Yasser Arafat Martyrs Brigades released a statement to underscore these points. Again, killing Israelis take precedence over working towards a peaceful solution. This is the very nature of the Palestinian terrorists. Abbas cannot find the courage or will to denounce the attack or the attackers.

"We will continue to chase you and disrupt your sleep until you leave the land you occupied," the resistance groups said in a statement. There was no comment from Abbas, who won last Sunday's election for a successor to Yasir Arafat and who is due to be sworn in on Saturday.

Abbas was sworn in today, and repeated his earlier statement on his intentions of following the Road Map.

"We are attached to the choice of just peace and we will implement our commitments under the Road Map ... Israel also has to implement its part of the deal," Abbas said.

The majority of the Israeli public supports the planned Gaza pullout, by 59% to 32%. Israel is in a strong position politically, with the coalition Labor and Likud government in support of the Gaza pullout. Disengagement from the West Bank will be a trickier issue, as the Israeli settlements are pervasive and established. This will require negotiations and concessions by both sides, something Hamas and other Palestinian terrorists cannot sanction.

Israel can easily meet the conditions of the first stage of the Road Map simply by halting the construction of any new settlements. The Palestinian Authority's requirements to satisfy the first stage of the Road Map - stopping terrorists attacks and dismantling the terrorist infrastructure, are much more difficult - may lead to a civil war. If Abbas is serious about sticking to the Road Map, he will have no other choice but to cleanse Gaza and the West Bank of terrorists, many of which make up the backbone of the Palestinian Liberation organization and Fatah.