Pat Dollard

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CNSNews:

Hamas announced on Sunday that it was fully in control of the Gaza Strip after another terrorist group declared an “Islamic emirate” in southern Gaza, triggering the deadliest internecine clashes since Hamas seized the territory in mid-2007.

But the second radical group, the reportedly al-Qaeda-inspired Jund Ansar Allah (“Warriors of the Companions of Allah”), hinted in an Internet posting at revenge attacks.

“We wash our hands of responsibility for any events that might take place in the next several days as a result … Await our response,” it said in a posting translated and made available by the NEFA Foundation, a terrorism watchdog.

A battle between Hamas gunmen and followers of Jund Ansar Allah left at least 28 people dead, including the smaller group’s leader, Abdel Latif Moussa (aka Abu Abdullah) and a top Hamas terrorist, Mohammed al-Shamali.

Shamali was a leader of Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. The Israeli government held him responsible for the abduction inside Israel more than three years ago of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Two soldiers were killed in the cross-border assault, and Shalit is still missing.

Palestinian sources said that of the dead in the weekend fighting, six were affiliated with Hamas, 12 with Jund Ansar Allah, and six were civilians, three of them children.

Moussa in a sermon on Friday declared Rafah, the city at the southern base of the strip near the border with Egypt, an emirate under shari’a (Islamic law).

Hamas then blocked routes into Rafah, and Al-Qassam Brigades members stormed Moussa’s mosque, where about 100 followers were holed up.

Moussa was killed in an explosion early Saturday which Hamas spokesmen said was self-inflicted. Dozens of his supporters were arrested.

Hamas’ leader in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Saturday that Jund Ansar Allah had “worked against the [so-called Hamas] government, described it as unreligious and armed themselves in opposition,” the Palestinian news agency Maan reported.

He said the group took advantage of young Palestinians and spread deviant ideas. Haniyeh also blamed Israeli policies for creating the conditions that fostered negative thinking among the youth.

Jund Ansar Allah, which was established late last year, issued a statement Sunday saying that Hamas’ response to the emirate announcement was “hasty.” The group said it had borne no ill will towards the people of Gaza or the Hamas administration.

In the message released by NEFA, the group went further, denying charges of deviant conduct – including accusations that its members were “takfiris” (Muslims who accuse other Muslims of unIslamic behavior).

It also denied Hamas’ allegations that it planned to attack Hamas targets or was responsible for any explosions in Gaza, adding “and we are not followers of al-Qaeda, and this was the decision of our commander Abu Abdullah.”

“And now we are awaiting our new commander.”

Jund Ansar Allah’s online posting criticized Hamas for policies that it said were “not the path of mujahideen” (holy warriors). These included “democracy and legislation and elections and the foolishness that occurs between them and Fatah.” Fatah is Mahmoud Abbas’ mainstream Palestinian faction, which Hamas ousted from Gaza in 2007.

It also defended charges against its slain leader.

“It should be of some significance for Hamas that Abu Abdullah was one of the most wanted men sought by Israel, and he had assembled a brilliant jihadi and military biography,” it said. “He was considered a General in military affairs, and specialized in making bullets.”

Some Arab commentators used the opportunity to criticize Hamas for its policies in Gaza.

Hamas should take responsibility for opening the door in Gaza “to foreign extremist elements in the absence of a legitimate Palestinian authority,” said Saudi Arabia’s Arab News in an editorial.

Tariq Alhomayed, editor-in-chief of the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, writing in a column on Sunday, told Hamas and its defenders in the Arab world, “you reap what you sow … extremism only breeds extremism.”