Sunday April 22, 2007

I've Been Thinking:

Al Qaeda is developing a stronghold in Gaza.

Last year we would all have said no way, impossible.
We would have said al Qaeda and the Palestinians just do not mix.
Even after their election Hamas repeatedly said that the Hamas agenda and the al Qaeda did not jive.

Today there are strong indications that al Qaeda has insinuated itself into Gaza.
Small groups that profess allegiance to al Qaeda have begun operating in Gaza. These groups reject the PA and its Authority, reject Israel and reject the West, especially the United States. These groups have separated themselves from the mainstream Palestinian extremists. These groups are non-compromising.

Some serious analysts believe that the Hamas group that kidnapped both Israeli Gilad Shalit and British Alan Johnston pledge support to al Qaeda.
That would explain why it has been so hard to find these victims and why negotiations for their release have been so arduous.

The times they are a changing.