Bloodthirsty Liberal

Some folks think that if only Israel would give just a bit more, peace and smiles would break out across the land. I doubt it. They are a rowdy bunch and Egypt has her hands full:

EL-ARISH, Egypt - More than a thousand Palestinian pilgrims set fire on Monday to temporary camps set up by the Egyptian government to house them until a dispute over how they will return to the Gaza Strip is resolved.

The Palestinians arrived by bus at 11 temporary camps in the Sinai outside the Mediterranean coastal city of el-Arish on Sunday but refused to occupy them, protesting Egypt’s attempts to have them return to Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Aouja border crossing.

As they rampaged Monday, the pilgrims shouted angry slogans against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his government for not allowing them to cross into Gaza through Rafah, where Israel has no control.

A large number of riot police responded by surrounding the pilgrims and securing the area, as firefighters attempted to put out the blaze. Several Palestinian women fainted from the fire’s heavy black smoke and were taken to El-Arish hospital.

Why can’t Egypt get a handle on this?

Here’s a clue:

The pilgrims include at least 10 well-known figures from the radical Islamic group Hamas — including Khalil al-Haya, a leader of the group — who fear Israel will arrest them if they cross through Aouja.

Israel, in turn, fears that if the pilgrims are allowed to return to Gaza through Rafah Hamas militants might get through and sympathizers could smuggle cash to Hamas in Gaza.

The standoff is the latest outbreak of tensions over efforts by Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Authority to isolate the Gaza Strip since Hamas took over the tiny coastal strip in June.

And on and on and on…

Happy New Year.

- Aggie