In the Aftermath of an Assassination Attempt Against the Palestinian Prime Minister, Conspiracy Theories Abound
Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah emerged visibly shaken but unscathed after an assassination attempt on Tuesday in the Gaza Strip. The soft-spoken former academic arrived in Gaza to open a sewage plant and attend some political meeting. He had barely crossed into Northern Gaza when his convoy, which included Palestinian Intelligence Chief Majid Farraj, was rocked by two 33-pound bombs. Seven security guards were wounded and three cars were damaged in the attack.
The Middle East media, never lacking in creativity or conspiracy theories, is now rife with nutty explanations for what happened. Some say it could be President Mahmoud Abbas’ longtime political nemesis Mohammed Dahlan behind the attack. Dahlan, now in political exile in the UAE, has fired back, saying that Israel “is the only beneficiary” of the attack. Still others blame Qatar and Iran, two countries that historically back the Hamas terrorist group, for destabilizing the Gaza Strip. I’m waiting for someone to blame Donald Trump.