Mere Rhetoric: Suicide Bomber Kills Three In Eilat (Plus: Why Is Fatah Getting Back Into The Suicide Bombing Business?)

And no sooner do we make light of how the Palestinians apparently have too much free time on their hands if they can kill each other and try to kill Jewish schoolchildren, the worst happens:

Investigations into Monday morning's suicide bombing in Eilat, the first to strike Israel's southernmost city, indicated that the 21-year-old bomber (Muhammed Faisal al-Saksak, a resident of the Gaza Strip and member of the Fatah-affiliated Aksa Martyrs Brigades) may not have intended to detonate his explosives pack in a bakery, but planned to execute the attack in a more crowded area. According to reports by security sources, at least two local residents had spotted Saksak, whose heavy coat and large bag aroused their suspicions, and called the police. Channel 2 reported that one of the people who alerted local police was the taxi driver who took Saksak into town.

First thought: When they're not busy killing each other, they kill Jews.

Second thought: What the hell is Fatah doing wasting resources on suicide bombings when they're supposedly about to go to war with Hamas?

Third, much worse, thought: This could easily become how Fatah and Hamas end up settling their differences.

What's the quickest way for a terrorist group to boost their standing on the Palestinian street? Kill more Jews than the other terrorist groups:

The campaign for the student government council at Bir Zeit University near Ramallah featured exploding models of Israeli buses and claims of prowess based on Israeli casualties... In voting Wednesday, Hamas won 25 seats of the 51 on the council... At a debate, the Hamas candidate asked the Fatah candidate: "Hamas activists in this university killed 135 Zionists. How many did Fatah activists from Bir Zeit kill?"

Fatah and Hamas have basically fought each other to a military standstill, and honestly they can only go on fighting for so long without needing the US and Europe to give them more money and weapons (through "security aid", natch). But suicide bombings are a ticket to credibility, and a sure way to turn the arms spigot back on - because obviously Abbas will need to give his troops more arms to "bolster himself against the extremists"... who are also, coincidentally, his troops. We've been skeptical about a civil war between Fatah and Hamas because we don't think they have the energy to kill each other without remembering that it's the Israelis that they really hate. But we could easily envision a proxy civil war where the competition is over who can have the most suicide bombings in a week.

And of course, there's the added benefit we were talking about this morning: as long as the Palestinians are on "the brink of civil war", Israel more or less has its hands tied. It can't really go after terrorists in Gaza or the West Bank, because then whatever happens for the next half a year will be blamed on them. It's the same old same old of the US and Europe counseling Israel to "show restraint" while the Palestinians try to get their act together. Once again, Israeli blood will have to be spilled while the Palestinians struggle with how central a role genocidal intentions should play in a future Palestinian state.

Previously: IDF Targets Palestinian Terrorists that Palestinian Authority Won’t Arrest, Email of the Day: Suicide Bombing Was Not Act of Revenge, AP Gives Israel Security Advice, Says Self-Defense is Bad