A Daily Analysis
By Marc Schulman

February 24, 2008 Hamas Plans March on Border

Hamas is planning a large scale demonstration tomorrow that will bring thousands of people to the Erez Border Crossing. The concern is that Hamas will try to do what it did at the Rafah crossing and force the crossing open by blowing it up and then sending a human wave through. Israel has increased its forces along the border, and the commanders have been given the ok to use lethal force if necessary. Observers do not believe that it will get to this, but it is unclear what could happen. The situation in Gaza is clearly getting worse, with the area now out of all gasoline. Israel is supplying diesel that runs the electric generators but has stopped allowing gasoline in.


In the West Bank there have been clashes between Hamas supporters and the Palestinian (Fatah) police. This is because the police are accused of killing a Hamas member who was being interrogated. The terror attack that originated from Hebron and the latest violence that has been centered in Ramallah are not good signs.


The effects of the assassination of Murugiyah are still resonating and at the moment positively. The few days during which Nasrallah promised his response has come and gone. In a speech that Nasralllah gave yesterday, he admitted how important Muigiyah was to Hezbollah and stated that Murighyah was the brain behind much of what Hezbollah did. Nasrallah was just the leader, but Murighiya was the brains.

Nasrallah's original threat to take the war against Israel to the whole world was universally condemned within Lebanon. Even those who were normally sympathetic to Hezbollah wondered why he wanted to sink Lebanon back to the way it was in the 1980ís. A mourners' tent had been set up in Kuwait by Shiites, who make up 15% of the population, for Murigya. Two member of the Lebanese parliament visited the tent. The Kuwaiti parliament ejected them from the parliament today. The reason: Murighiya had killed Kuwaitis.

Prime Minister Olmert is off for a five day visit to Japan. He did not need a fictitious Indian conference to have an excuse to head overseas.