More bad news in the severely hamstrung War on Terror. Hamas has defeated Fatah in Gaza, many suspect with the backing of Al-Qaeda. Hamas is now forming a Islamist mini-state from which Al-Qaeda’s world wide caliphate will begin to coalesce if unchecked. From The Times Online:

A new, Islamist mini-state was emerging in the Gaza Strip yesterday, as victorious Hamas forces surrounded and blew up their secular rivals’ last strongholds in bitter fighting that threw the entire future of the Middle East peace process into doubt.

Supporters of the Fatah movement fled to Egypt or surrendered as Hamas leaders predicted that they would control the entire coastal strip by the end of the week.

European Union chiefs said that the deployment of an international force should be urgently considered to curb the bloodshed.

In Gaza, Hamas strengthened its grip as its fighters surrounded die-hard Fatah supporters in isolated, last-stand strongholds. In Khan Younis in the south, Hamas guerrillas tunnelled under a Fatah security base and blew it up with its defenders still inside. Those refusing to give up in other besieged bastions were given two days to surrender.

”This is a victory for Islam and I hope we will build our Islamic state,” said Abu Qatada, a masked 22-year-old Hamas fighter, standing outside the smouldering ruin of the Fatah security base. “We must now complete the job,” he said.

In a symbolic moment, a large crowd of Gaza civilians demonstrating for an end to the internecine fighting came under fire from unidentified attackers who killed at least two marchers.

Al-Qaeda has been reported to have infiltrated Gaza a few years ago, bringing with them their plans for establishing a world wide caliphate by 2020. Plans that were apparently embraced by many Palestinians who also have linked themselves to Iran and Khomeinism.

With a Islamist state of their own from which to legitimize the cause of Jihad, we’ve entered a new and dangerous phase of the war, which will no longer be on “terror” meaning non-state actors, but as the new Palestinian government allies itself with Iran, Syria and the host of Communist governments all to eager to side with Islamists against Western Civilization, a conventional third world war.