Shimshon 9

HAMAS was formed in late 1987 as an outgrowth of the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood during the first Palestinian Intifada which began in 1987 and continued through 1993. HAMAS is an acronym of Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyya, which in Arabic means “Islamic Resistance Movement.” HAMAS has executed large-scale suicide bombings and other terrorist attacks in pursuit of its goal: the destruction of Israel and the establishment an Islamic Palestinian state in its place.

The U.S. State Department first designated HAMAS a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997, and it continues to be so designated through 2005.

Since September, 2000, HAMAS has been responsible for at least 321 successful attacks in Israel, which have resulted in the deaths of 381 people and have injured 1,649 others.

The group’s leadership is dispersed throughout the Gaza Strip and West Bank, with a few senior leaders residing in Damascus, Syria and elsewhere. Iran and Islamic “charities” are among the primary sources of financing to the terrorist organization.

HAMAS has claimed responsibility or was found to be responsible for the deaths and injuries caused to numerous plaintiffs in the Linde, et al. v. Arab Bank, Plc and Coulter, et al. v. Arab Bank, Plc lawsuits. Following are only a few of the many victims:

Steven Averbach, one of the initial plaintiffs in the Linde, et al. v. Arab Bank, Plc case, was grievously injured when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives on a commuter bus in 2003;

Janis Ruth Coulter, age 36, Diane Carter, age 38, Benjamin Blutstein, age 25, and David Gritz, age 24 were killed in the bombing at the Hebrew University cafeteria that occurred on July 31, 2002. Many others were also killed and injured in the attack.

The Sbarro Pizzeria Massacre on August 9, 2001 resulted in the death of Judith Greenbaum, age 31; plaintiff Chana Nachenberg remains in a permanent vegetative state since the attack.

The Nathansen family lost their daughter Tehilla as a result of a suicide bombing on a bus on August 9, 2003; Several other members of the Nathansen family sustained injuries as well.

Lawmaker Ahmed Abu Helbiya tells crowd of over 2,000 protestors, ‘We call on all the factions to undertake efforts to contain the enemy and halt its aggression by planning martyrdom operations’ (Ynet)

Are we en route to an other Intifada?

What will come after Abbas? On January 14, 2009, in about four months, 73-year-old Mahmoud Abbas’ term in office will end, and the storm shall start. On a Poll conducted by the Maan News Agency 72.41 percent of the voters think Abbas should step down by the end of his term. Only 19 percent think he should stay and 7.8 percent don’t know. 406 people voted.

The Poll shows that all the efforts Abbas is doing to reach an agreement with Olmert until the end of the year are not really worth anything, since the people do not want to go this way.  Which way do they want to go? It clearly looks like the have chosen the way of terror. All terror attacks in Jerusalem in 2008 have been done by East Jerusalem arabs.

So where are the Palestinians heading too? Another Intifada?

An almost sole outlet for the Palestinian distress may be a new type of Intifada or some kind of other military activity against Israel that would reunite Palestinian forces. Tzipi Livni’s term in office, should she become prime minister, would encourage them to do so as they would perceive Israel to be weakening. Are we ready for this? In the midst of the leadership vacuum that we are facing and our leaders’ shallowness, is anyone preparing for a Palestinian collapse, which will of course affect us too?