CIAO DATE: 05/06

Al-Qaeda Infiltration of Gaza: A Post-Disengagement Assessment

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

By David Keyes

Peace Watch #531
December 16, 2005

Abstract

Since the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan in 2001, al-Qaeda has responded by splintering into affiliate groups that work along the same lines as the parent group but have a wider degree or organizational latitude. One of the newest may be taking shape in Gaza. The Israeli Ministry of Defense recently reported that al-Qaeda members had crossed from Egypt into the Gaza Strip after Israel's withdrawal from the territory. If al-Qaeda gains a foothold in Gaza, it would be a most disturbing development not only for the Arab-Israeli peace process, but for America's counterterrorism efforts as well.

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