Why Abbas Needs To Be Bolstered By Israel...

Abbas makes the hard decisions:

Abbas denies asylum to supporters from Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday refused to grant West Bank asylum to forces who fled weekend faction fighting in Hamas-ruled Gaza, despite fears for their safety.

Abbas ordered nearly 200 fighters back to Gaza from Israel, insisting a Fatah presence must be retained in the territory, which has been controlled by Hamas since a violent takeover in June 2007. Fatah is not prepared to write off Gaza, and Abbas also fears that an entrenched Hamas there could export rebellion to the West Bank, where he rules.

With decisions like this, is it any wonder that Rice is perceptually asking Israel to take steps to bolster Abbas?

Check out Melanie Phillips, who notes:

Extraordinary developments in Gaza have given a new meaning to the term ‘Palestinian refugees’.

The fact is, that there is a distinction between Palestinian Arabs in Gaza and Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank--and that is why Abbas' reason for allowing Palestinian refugees in from Gaza is about more than just not encouraging further refugees from Gaza:

One is related to Abbas's fear that the presence of the Hilles "refugees" in Ramallah and other West Bank cities would damage his efforts to impose law and order there.

The powerful Hilles clan had established their own "mini-state" in the Gaza Strip, where they had their own extraterritorial "security zone" and militia.

The clan, which has long been affiliated with Fatah, had a military training base and a number of small factories for manufacturing various types of weapons.

Several members of the clan were also involved in various types of criminal activities, including murder, rape, kidnappings and extortion, according to sources in the Gaza Strip.

Bringing dozens of these clan members into the West Bank would have caused a big headache for Abbas, who is still facing difficulties in reining in numerous Fatah gangs that are continuing to roam the streets of West Bank cities and villages.

The last thing Abbas needs is another 180 bitter Fatah thugs from the Gaza Strip patrolling the streets of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Nablus and imposing a reign of terror on the local population.

Past experience has shown that the Palestinians in the West Bank have never been enthusiastic about the presence of their brethren from the Gaza Strip among them. [emphasis added].

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