Burying the news

Funny how neither major wire service can manage to spread widely the news that yet another Palestinian internecine firefight has broken out—this time in Nablus, the West Bank—not Gaza. That means the civil war is spreading.

I found the story on Fox News and the IHT, but so far, nowhere else. Well, except the Israeli media, of course. And you can find a ton of stories about the prisoner swap Hamas wants to make for Gilad Shalit. But no, you won’t easily find the news that Palestinians are murdering civilians again—their own.

Palestinian security officers and militants exchanged heavy fire in the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday, injuring three people and paralyzing the downtown area. At least one of the casualties was a bystander, rescue officials said.

The clash between the police and militants from the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades – Fatah’s military wing -terrified residents and shoppers in the bustling city center, prompting them to shutter their windows and flee the area.

Police and the gunmen sped through the streets and ran over rooftops, shooting at each other.

“I saw, from where I was, dozens of Palestinian police and gunmen chasing each other and shooting,” said Ghassan Tabila, a street vendor.

And oh yeah—they’re doing it in Gaza, too.

In Gaza, a gunbattle between two warring families in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday killed three people, including a bystander, medical officials said.

It is not clear what restarted the long simmering feud between the Jerwan and the Sakr clans in the town of Khan Younis.

Gunshots were heard near the home of a member of the one of the clans, prompting armed men from both families to rush to the scene in downtown Khan Younis. Heavy gunfire lasted for more than an hour, and sporadic gunshots were heard throughout the day, witnesses said.

One person was killed from each family, and a bystander was also slain. The fighting wounded seven people, including one in serious condition, said Moaiwa Hassanein, a Health Ministry official.

Yep. The peaceful, peace-loving Palestinians. If only Israel would give them a state, they’d stop murdering each other, and they’d stop attacking Israelis.

Uh-huh.

Sure.