Law and Order in Gaza, thanks to Hamas

Alan Johnston, the BBC correspondant held by a radical Djihadist group, is freed today by the efforts of Hamas, two weeks only since Hamas took control of the Gaza strip.
Israeli collaborators from Fatah are bitter and angry. There may be some Logic beyond Politics, according to The Guardian account of Johnston's liberation. Israel and Fatah, encouraged by the international community, planted chaos and anarchy in Gaza in order to undermine the image of the Hamas government. But the anarchy went to such lenght that Hamas did not have a choice but to get rid of collaborationnist elements in the Gaza strip.
Now that they control Gaza, Hamas can prove what they are capable of. Johnston's liberation is a good sign.

For Moïn Rabbani, expert on Palestinian Politics for the International Crisis Group, Johnston's liberation is a ''major accomplishment for Hamas''. ''It is a success, even in the eyes of Palestinians themselves whose major everyday concern is security. Hamas has shown the public opinion it is more apt to bring security and order to the people.'' Mr. Rabbani doubts however that these news will affect in any way the stance of the international community towards Hamas. ''The international community and the Quartet have only one objective: Get rid of Hamas even though they are able to bring security to the Palestinian people.''

Fatah, already irrelevant to the Palestinian people, may become irrelevant also for Israel and the international community. This day will come...but this day, the international community, if it pursues its isolation of Hamas, will have also transformed Hamas into another irrelevant Palestinian organisation, and the Palestinian people will have nobody to speak for them...

Other links on the story

Extensive reporting and background on the clan who kidnapped Johnston from der Spiegel

Here is an account on his blog of the atmosphere prevailing before the release at Hamas quarters in Gaza from journalist Charles Levinson.

Comment: Khalid Mish'aal

Read how Dahlan, resigned only in July 2007 from the post of the responsible for security for Fatah in Gaza, talked to Israelis about slaughtering Arafat. The documents were found in Gaza by Hamas after Fatah lost the war against Hamas and had to flee.

Dahlan, a Fatah Washington and Israel's ally, seems to have prolonged Alan Johnston's captivity.

Read the story of Said El-Atabeh the most veteran of Palestinian prisoners in Israel's jails, imprisoned since 1977.

The Bush-Blair Era: synonymous of the slowly irreversible agony of the peace process in the ME

From Le Monde. A poll of their readers (12550 polled) shows that more than 60% think that the nomination of Tony Blair as special envoy of the quartet to the ME will not help reinvigorate the negociations process in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Let alone the peace process. Le Monde's readers are center left and moderates.