Joobo the King of Wisdom

The Jerusalem Post: Pallies on Verge of Civil War; US Media Yawns

When someone is murdered in Iraq, every US media outlet announces the story with, "Iraq is coming closer to civil war with each new murder." That civil war has not broken out after 3 years of such murders, some in the hundreds at one time, escapes the dunces who run the MSM in America.

However, when those peaceful Palestinians* elect a government run by terrorists for terrorists, and murders and chaos reign, the fact that a civil war might erupt is never even mentioned in the circles of the liberal media.

So, leave it to The Jerusalem Post to mention the unmentionable.

PA on verge of bankruptcy, civil war

Asked to sum up the achievements of his cabinet one month after entering office, embattled Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said he was confident the Hamas cabinet would successfully complete its four-year term in office.

"We're always optimistic," he said. "Our optimism stems from our belief and determination that we must continue the process until the liberation of our lands."

Haniyeh's optimism, however, does not seem to be shared by a growing number of Palestinians, who believe they are now closer than ever to civil war and bankruptcy.

Boycotted by the international community, Haniyeh's cabinet is still struggling to raise funds to pay salaries to more than 140,000 PA civil servants. They have not been paid for March and many of them say they can't even afford to travel to work.

Hamas has thus far failed to raise enough funds in the Arab and Islamic world. True, its leaders have been promised tens of millions of dollars by Iran, Libya and a few Arab countries, but the money has still not been transferred to Ramallah and the Gaza Strip. A drive by Hamas to collect donations from Arabs and Muslims has also failed because of the failure of Arab banks to cooperate.

Even if the promised money does arrive, Hamas officials note, it would hardly cover the amount required to pay March's salaries.

In addition to the financial crisis, the Hamas cabinet is also facing a political and diplomatic boycott by most of the world. Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, who has just wrapped up a tour of a number of Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Libya, is about to return home with a suitcase full of promises and little cash.

The challenges facing the cabinet from home appear to be worse. Some cabinet ministers living in the West Bank are forced to use public transportation to get to work in Ramallah. Unlike their Fatah predecessors, the Hamas ministers are not equipped with Israeli-issued VIP passes enabling them to drive through IDF checkpoints without delay.

One minister was forced last week to walk through wadis and hills to avoid IDF checkpoints. His journey from Nablus to Ramallah lasted more than seven hours.

In the month that it has been in power, the cabinet has not been able to meet in its entirety around one table. More than half of the ministers live in the West Bank, while the rest, including Haniyeh, live in the Gaza Strip. Many Palestinians are jokingly referring to the Hamas cabinet as the "video-conference government," as that is how it conducts its weekly meetings.

Hamas officials are openly accusing PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and his senior aides of conspiring with the US and Israel to bring down the Hamas cabinet. The allegations have resulted in increased tensions between Hamas and Abbas's Fatah, with both sides spreading rumors about the other.

While Fatah leaders have accused Hamas of hypocrisy and incompetence, Hamas spokesmen say they are the victims of a US-led conspiracy to oust their democratically elected government. Leaflets distributed by Hamas-affiliated groups in the Gaza Strip have specifically implicated Fatah operatives Muhammad Dahlan, and Samir Mashharawi.

The crisis has been aggravated by Abbas's decision to cut the powers of the Hamas cabinet, making it almost impossible for each minister to hire a private secretary or deputy.

Some of the Hamas ministers have also complained that their predecessors literally stole everything from the ministries, including teaspoons, fax machines and couches.

Terrorists, crooks, thieves, mass murderers. Are the Palestinians blessed, or what?

*Yeah, right.