Newsweek examines Gaza’s feuding clans that may make or break the Palestinian cease-fire. The various families—not necessarily loyal to Fatah or Hamas—are licking their wounds and nursing their grudges. Reuters credits clan leaders with preventing the civil war from spreading to the West Bank. But they contribute to the chaos in a different way:
“An unarmed security officer can’t arrest a drug smuggler, because he can’t protect himself,” the official said. Police were also increasingly wary that any arrest they make could provoke a revenge attack from one of the clans.
In the absence of any real Palestinian leadership, should Israel deal directly with clan leaders instead?
