We wonder if the rise in honor killings has anything to do with Hamas's continuing attempts to turn the Gaza Strip into an Islamic utopia. Certainly it seems like Hamas sharia is having a less than sanguine effect on women's rights. Or maybe it's just coincidence:

A 25-year-old resident of Kalkilya shot and murdered his two sisters on Thursday afternoon... Police said they suspect the man killed his sisters because he felt they had disgraced the family. The killer has not yet been arrested. Internal PA data shows that the number of “honor killings” in which women are murdered for allegedly disgracing the family name is on the rise. Three sisters from Gaza were murdered earlier in the year, and a woman’s body was found earlier in the week in a garbage dump in Kalkilya.

And now that Abbas is pushing back against Hamas by imposing sharia in the West Bank so he can gain Islamist street cred - well, a Palestinian state may be a lot of things to a lot of people, but an improvement in the lives of Palestinian women it certainly will not be. (h/t: Yishai) [Photo]

References:
* Kalkilya Man Murders his Sisters [INN]
* Palestinian Non-Civil War Watch - Hamas In Control Of Gaza, "This Is the First Step In the Establishment Of An Islamic State" [MR]
* Abbas Pushes Back Against Hamas By Imposing Sharia In Ramallah [MR]
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Palestinian Control Of Gaza Not Going Well For Women [MR]

Previously:
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - You're Too Dirty To Walk On Saudi Arabia's Sidewalks
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - If You're A Maid In Saudi Arabia, You Might Have To Be Tortured And Mutilated
* Hey Gals, Check This Out - Islamists Really Hate Women