Al Qaeda Moving Into Gaza....

The Jerusalem Post

reports today of this unsettling problem. I never thought it was a good idea to "give in" to the Palestinians when the Israeli's withdrew unilaterally. Hamas is bad enough, but Al Qaeda? Wow, that's a ticking time bomb. Here's from the report:

Has al-Qaida started operating in the Gaza Strip? A leaflet distributed in Khan Yunis over the weekend by al-Qaida's "Palestine branch" announced that the terrorist group has begun working towards uniting the Muslims under one Islamic state.
"The Muslim nation has been subjected, through various periods, to conspiracies by the infidels," the leaflet said. "[The infidels] have brought down the Islamic Caliphate, dividing the nation into small and weak states. They also managed to dilute the Islamic and character of the nation."
The leaflet said unity was the only way for Muslims to achieve victory over their enemies, adding that the terrorist group's chief goal was to enforce Islamic law in the entire world.
The leaflet, signed by al-Qaida of Jihad in Palestine, is the latest indication of al-Qaida's effort to establish itself in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli withdrawal from the area.

More tangible signs of al Qaeda's presence are also starting to appear:

According to [Gaza resident] Nizar, some areas in the southern Gaza Strip are already beginning to resemble Afghanistan when it was ruled by the Taliban. "This is very disturbing," he remarked. "You see more and more women covering their faces and in the mosques you hear extremely radical sermons. The people there are behaving as if they were members of a tribe in Afghanistan."

The Post reports that Palestinians have responded with "mixed feelings" to reports that al Qaeda is now active among them. They might want to talk to some Iraqis before becoming too enthusiastic.

Now that the White House has endorsed Palestine's statehood, can they hold up under a potential take-over of Al Qaeda? Remember, they did that in Afghanistan. With Al Qaeda present in Israel, it isn't just Israel's problem anymore. You've got two major terrorist factions on Israel's doorstep......it's getting ugly folks.