Martyrs

"An Israeli airstrike against a Palestinian rocket squad (in Gaza) killed a militant....The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of ....the Fatah movement, identified the dead man as of its fighters."
Associated Press, Dec. 21, 2008

I have no problem with members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AAMB) seeking martyrdom; in fact I would support sending Dr Jack Kevorkian to Gaza to help them attain it as soon as possible. According to the great Scottish poet Macaulay, there is no better death than one incurred while fighting for a cause. (1) And Macaulay was not even a Muslim!

What bothers me is that they insist on inflicting martyrdom on those who do not share their cause. Firing rockets into Israel from Gaza is only the latest example of their activities; AAMB was responsible for as much terrorism during the Second Intifada (2000-2006) as Hamas and other Palestinian jihadist groups combined. In addition, AAMB gunmen raided the Gaza office of the European Union (EU) on January 20, 2006, to demand apologies from Denmark and Norway for cartoons about Muhammad. (2)

The participation of AAMB in the rocket attacks from Gaza is particularly disturbing because of the connection between the group and ruling Fatah party in the West Bank. Former PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei stated in June of 2004 that " Al Aqsa Martyr Brigades are part of Fatah. Fatah bears full responsibility for the group." In November of 2003 BBC journalists found that Fatah was then paying AAMB about $50,000 per month. (2)

Obviously, PA President Mahmoud Abbas has no control over the AAMB contingent operating in Gaza, which conducts joint operations with Hamas. The more serious question is whether Abbas can control AAMB in the West Bank, where it is considered the armed wing of Abbas' Fatah party. This is crucially important as negotiations between PA and the Government of Israel will commence in spring over establishment of a State of Palestine in the West Bank.

At the moment AAMB, along with other terrorist groups in the West Bank, is maintaining a long-term cease-fire with Israel, as Abbas has demanded. If Abbas reaches a peace agreement with Israel leading to the establishment of a Palestinian state, will AAMB forget all about martyrdom and live in peace with the "Zionist entity"?

I hope so, but I contend that a more likely scenario is that AAMB will emerge as the core of a group of militant Palestinian factions that will consider any deal with Israel a sell-out. Although it is possible to conceive of an agreement that would suit both Abbas and the next Government of Israel, it is inconceivable that such an agreement would also be acceptable to the hardliners and jihadists in the West Bank, especially those that boast of seeking martyrdom. Although Hamas is not dominant in the West Bank, Hamas cells operate there quietly, and could become allied with AAMB in a "rejectionist front."

In this case, AAMB would break with Abbas and initiate terrorist activities against Israel, perhaps rocket attacks over the Security Fence. If PA forces tried to stop them, violence would also be turned against the Abbas government. The conflict could escalate into civil war, with an uncertain outcome.

Those who are enthusiastic to follow the "Road Map" to a Palestinian state should consider the potential that groups such as AAMB pose to the PA leadership. The best hope of preventing terrorism and internecine violence may be for the PA to disarm all West Bank militias prior to independence. As John Lennon would put it, at least this step would "give peace a chance."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) "How can a man die better
Than facing fearful odds
For the temples of his fathers
And the altars of his gods."

(2) Wikipedia article on "Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade."