'Hello Ms. Rice, this is the Kassam'

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
Masked Hamas gunmen who stormed the office of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza City on Friday invited a small number of journalists to witness the "historic moment." The gunmen, belonging to Hamas's armed wing, Izaddin Kassam, posed for pictures behind Abbas's desk and in the conference room where the PA leader used to receive world leaders. At one point, one of the gunmen pretended as if he were answering a phone call intended for Abbas. Picking up the phone, the gunman, who was carrying a Kalashnikov rifle, said: "Hello Mrs. Condoleezza Rice! Oh, you are looking for Abbas? Well, he's not here any more. Try him in Ramallah. Who am I? This is the Kassam, Mrs. Rice."