Hamas clashes with striking workers

New crisis hits the Palestinian Authority

Hamas clashes with striking workers

TWELVE PEOPLE have been killed and over 120 injured in gun battles
between Hamas militias and striking government employees in the Gaza
strip.

Amnon Cohen

The battles started on Sunday morning when the Interior Ministry
militia, which consists of Hamas activists, broke up a demonstration of
Palestinian policemen, some of whom have not been paid since January.
The ensuing battles spread to other areas of Gaza and the West Bank. In
a further escalation, the Fatah Al-Asqa brigades have threatened to
assassinate Khaled Mashal (Hamas’ chairman) and other Hamas leaders.

These clashes represent a serious deepening or the crisis which has
gripped the Palestinian Authority (PA) since Hamas took power in January
2006.

Hamas won a crushing majority in the legislative elections because
the Palestinians had had enough of the corruption of Fatah (the party
which had dominated Palestinian politics since 1969), whose policy of
negotiations and capitulation to the Israeli state had brought them
nothing but misery.

Hamas’s victory was a devastating blow to Bush’s plans for a ‘new
Middle East’. The Israeli state responded to the Hamas victory by
stepping up its military attacks, especially in the Gaza strip. The
Israeli army had withdrawn from the Gaza Strip in September 2005. But
since then 500 Gazans have been killed by the Israeli armed forces, far
more than during any year of Israeli occupation. The bombardments,
bombings and military incursions were escalated after the capture of the
Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June.

Alongside the Israeli military campaign, EU governments halted the
flow of economic aid that had until then kept the Palestinian economy
afloat. This meant that the new Hamas government did not have the funds
to pay its employees. Since the PA is the main employer, this has meant
a crushing blow to the economy, driving living standards to the edge of
starvation levels. Waves of strikes and demonstrations against
non-payment of wages have spread throughout Palestine undermining Hamas’
popular support.

Without a strategy to advance the Palestinian struggle, or defend
itself against the combined military and economic onslaught, Hamas has
attempted to form a government of ‘national unity’ with Fatah – the same
party whose betrayals and corruption were so decisively rejected by the
Palestinian electorate only nine months ago!

Fatah demanded as a condition for joining a unity government that
Hamas would recognise Israel and agree to be bound by all previous peace
agreements made by the PLO/Fatah/PA (agreements which have been torn to
shreds by the Israeli government). By making these demands the Fatah
leadership demonstrates to what extent it is serving the interests of
imperialism.

The Hamas leaders were prepared to agree to a fudge of the issues,
but an explicit agreement would have meant a total ideological U-turn
and widened the split between the Hamas leadership and activists to
breaking point.

Palestinian society is at the brink of civil war. Both nationalism
and political Islam have made it clear that they have no way out. The
building of a socialist alternative is necessary.