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Jerusalem Post
by Khaled Abu Toameh

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas on Monday defended the decision to demolish the synagogues in the Gaza Strip, saying they did not want to give Jews an excuse to ever think about returning to the area.

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited the former settlement of Dugit in the northern Gaza Strip, where he declared that the Israel did not leave behind any synagogues. “There are no synagogues here,” he said.

“Israel left behind some empty buildings which that are likely to collapse. All the public buildings they left are in danger of collapsing,” he said.

According to Abbas, the PA would destroy all the empty structures, including the synagogues, to build homes for thousands of Palestinians.

Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas official in the Gaza Strip, said his movement would not allow the synagogues to exist for fear that they would be turned in the future into “Wailing Walls” for Jews. “We won’t allow any Wailing Walls on our blessed land,” he said.

Defending the decision to raze the synagogues, Haniyeh said Israel was trying to keep them to put pressure on the PA to protect them in the future. “These synagogues were built for political, not religious, reasons. They were built illegally and should go away with the occupation.”

Meanwhile, a number of armed groups in the Gaza Strip announced that they would continue to launch attacks on Israel until it withdraws from more territories.

The armed wing of Fatah announced that it was planning to launch attacks inside Israel “until all our lands are liberated.” Muhamemd Hijazi, commander of one of the Fatah- affiliated militias in the Gaza Strip, said his men were planning suicide attacks in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beersheba.

“We will continue our martyrdom operations inside Israel until all our lands are liberated, by God’s will,” he said. “Gaza is only part of historic Palestine. We won’t lay down our weapons as long as Jerusalem and the West Bank are under occupation.”

Islamic Jihad leader Muhammed al-Hindi said his group’s main task now was to liberate Jerusalem and the West Bank. “Today we are celebrating victory in the Gaza Strip, but we still have Jerusalem and the West Bank,” he said. “Today we have begun the march toward Jerusalem and all of Palestine.”

He said the pullout from the Gaza Strip did not mark the end of Israeli occupation “because Israel continues to control the airspace and border crossings.” He, too, declared that his group would not abandon its weapons following the disengagement.

Israel Today

After two days of chaos, Palestinian security forces appear to be restoring order in the abandoned Gaza settlements. Scavengers looted demolished buildings and mobs destroyed synagogues, but the settlements were largely deserted today. The looting included the destruction of greenhouses which were a gift to the Palestinian people. American Jewish donors bought the greenhouses from Israeli farmers for $14 million, with the aim of providing jobs and boosting the Palestinian economy. Thugs made off with hoses, pumps, electrical equipment and plastic sheeting. In impoverished Gaza, it’s each man for himself.

More chaos at Egypt-Gaza border
Security also broke down at Gaza’s border with Egypt, despite an agreement with Israel for the deployment of 750 Egyptian troops. These guards stood by as thousands of Palestinians tore down the fence and crossed into Egypt, buying up cheap supplies and appliances. It’s a security nightmare for Israel, which expected Egyptian forces to prevent weapons smuggling to Palestinian terrorists. Egyptian and Palestinian authorities have vowed to restore order, and at press time, it appeared that they were making progress on sealing the border. Egypt has had its share of terrorist shootings and bombings, so analysts say it’s in Cairo’s interest to secure the volatile frontier.

Huge Hamas ‘victory’ rally in Gaza
Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in Gaza City, as the Islamic terrorist group Hamas claimed victory and took credit for driving the Israelis out. Leaders of the group vowed that holy war would continue until Israel is destroyed. “We are not going to rest until we raise the flag of Islam over the minarets of Jerusalem,” said Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar. He also rejected requests by the Palestinian Authority to disarm, as demanded by the internationally-backed “roadmap” peace plan. “These weapons will remain aimed at the chest of the enemy until we achieve liberation, Allah willing,” Zahar told the crowd. It’s bad news for Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who wants to revive peace talks with Israel. It’s clear that he can control the multitudes of Hamas