Terrorists for all seasons; Popular Resistance Committees

It is not often that I read something that makes me goes “ahuh” rather than “duh” but this article from Stan Goodenough at the Jerusalem Wire service did just that:

Expect to hear, in the coming weeks, a decrease in Hamas’ claims of responsibility for acts of terrorism, while its leadership creates a higher profile in the political realm. Expect to hear Hamas leaders soften their stand on the irrevocability of their charter. Expect, too, that where there are attacks, responsibility for them will increasingly be claimed by the Popular Resistance Committees – the group that accepted accolades earlier this month for killing former PA security chief Moussa Arafat.

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) is set to become one of the main bad boys in the Israeli-Arab conflict. It is already being counted among the “extremists,” the “fundamentalists.” Like the Tanzim and Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, the PRC is ensuring that it will be labeled an “enemy of peace.” As this happens, Hamas will become one of “the more moderate,” winning favor or at least a nod from the nations spearheading the Arab-Israeli peace process, who will increasingly pressure Israel to negotiate with the Islamist group.

The elections will see Hamas and the PA form a coalition, which together will push forward the “Palestinian” political struggle – with their combined overwhelming popular support securing them further legitimacy in the eyes of the international community, clinching their drive for a state. What leads us to make such a prediction? The track record of the PLO.

The PRC is only one of the latest creations of the Palestine Liberation Organization. In fact, the PRC was purposely propagated by the PLO in order to create that oh-so-effective division of labor for which the grandfather of terrorist organizations has become so well known.

It was conceived, as we shall likely soon see, for the express purpose of carrying out more attacks on Israelis in the immediate future, thereby serving to:

1. Feed the Arab street’s insatiable appetite for Jewish blood and so fuel their belief in their ultimate victory over the whole Jewish state, and

2. Cast the Hamas in comparatively respectable light as more of a political and less of a terrorist organization.

Goodenough goes on to establish his case based on past performance in the Israeli/Arab conflict. Read the rest here.

Remember this when reading statements such as this one taken from the Jerusalem Post issued by Mahmoud Zahar stating that Hamas would stop firing rockets into Israel.

In the first criticism of its kind, the Islamic Jihad organization said on Monday that it was "unhappy" with Hamas's decision to stop firing rockets at Israel. Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar announced on Sunday night that his movement would stop firing rockets at Israel. The announcement came hours after Israel killed Muhammed Sheikh Khalil, a senior Islamic Jihad operative in Gaza city. "Hamas declares an end to its operations from the Gaza Strip against the Israeli occupation, which came in response to the assaults by the enemy," Zahar told reporters in Gaza City.

From this report we can note that Islamic Jihad is not on board and presumably has its’ own stockpile of weapons to launch attacks with. You can bet the rent that Hamas’ change of heart will never amount to rounding up members of Islamic Jihad and turning them over to the Palestinian civil authority for trial.