Things are coming to a head in and around Israel. After Sharon made it clear that Abbas would get no honeymoon from the Israelis, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade is ordered shut down, and PNA security forces are ordered to stop all terrorist attacks against Israeli targets. Abbas is either a man of considerable physical courage, or he has learned from Arafat how to put on a good show with very little substance. Time will tell which it is.
In the meantime, there may be war afoot in Lebanon between Al Qaeda and Fatah, and I'm inclined to believe that Fatah may kick Al Qaeda's butt, being the more experienced terrorist group of the two. If Hamas and PIJ decide to resist Abbas's offensive against them, and Al Qaeda gets into the mix, there is a definitive possibility of a civil war with (yet again) the Palestinians as the fulcrum. That would be tragic and disruptive.
That raises the possiblity of Israel having to intervene on Fatah's behalf. Since no thanks would be forthcoming in such an event, it would be pretty discreet; but there's no question that Israel has an interest in seeing Fatah vanquish the fundamentalists. (Unless, of course, you're a cynic who believes that Israel would prefer to see the Palestinians self-destruct.)
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