Hamas official says group considering military draft in Gaza
Security official: Financial, demographic considerations will affect decision to conscript.
The top security official in Hamas-ruled Gaza said Tuesday he was considering setting up a bigger military force, first with volunteers and eventually with a mandatory draft.
Such a step could further tighten Hamas' control of Gaza and deepen the rift with the group's Western-backed rivals in the West Bank. Hamas seized Gaza by force in 2007, wresting control from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Palestinian Hamas police cadets march in a graduation ceremony |
| Photo by: AP / Tara Todras-Whitehill |
Currently, Hamas has a paid security force of about 18,000. Interior Minister Fathi Hamad raised the idea of a broad-based force during the inauguration Tuesday of a new police building. He said his ministry is open to the idea of voluntary recruitment and then going to conscription. He gave no details.
Hamad's spokesman, Ehab Ghussein, said the ministry is currently looking only at voluntary recruitment, not at a possible draft, and that the final decision would be up to the Hamas government. "We deny that the Interior Ministry will impose a draft on the residents of Gaza," Ghussein said in a statement.
A security official in Gaza said conscription would be too expensive because of the large number of potential recruits. More than half of Gaza's 1.5 million residents are under age 18.
However, joining the security services for a limited period, with minimal pay and on a voluntary basis could benefit some of Gaza's young men, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with reporters.
About one-third of the labor force in Gaza is unemployed. Such a system would also give Hamas direct access to a wider segment of the population.
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FOR ISRAEL THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE, IF WAR BREAKS UP THIS TIME HAMAS WILL BE ANNIHLATED, IT IS ONLY THE POOR PEOPLE OF GAZA WHO WILL LIVE IN HELL
Half of the residents of Gaza are under 18? Place is going to get mighty crowded in the next few generations. If there is no resolution with the problems between Gaza and Israel - things are only going to get much worse
Hamas?
Why don't they just use the kids they are training in summer camps?
Everyone can make up their own mind about the plausibility of this report, but being aware of it seems quite useful if you want to discuss the situation: http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/features/2008/04/gaza200804
The usual lies from the right wing
Obtaining power through polls is not a normal procedure in Muslim countries, and where it does occur, it has been the result of USA pressures. Voting is only one facet of democracy. Voting periodically is a more important one. Do you think you will live to see another election in Gaza?
If majority of Republicans in US congress were to violently attack Democratic party and Democratic president, they would be seizing control by force, even though they were previously democratically elected.
Dave, I understand where you're coming from but the specific language of the author is correct. Hamas was democratically elected but they were not actually given political power after the elections. So they took power on their own. The mistake that the media often makes is that they say that Hamas led a coup against Fatah, when in fact, Fatah actually led the coup by refusing to hand over power to the elected Hamas government.
And then In 2007 they kicked the shit out of fatach forces and took full military control of the strip.