King Abdullah of Jordan and President Mubarak of Egypt today issued a joint statement calling on Israel to enter peace talks with the Palestinians. Why do these guys crank out this nonsense? There truly are no Palestinians with whom to talk. Perhaps the Arab world hasn't noticed. But there is a civil war going on in Gaza, and it started basically right after the Saudi government cobbled together a Palestinian regime that was itself a deceit. In any case, the butchery in Gaza continues. Hamas has apparently made a habit of attacking hospitals, killing Fatah people in them and then using the sick and infirm as cover. Yesterday, it was two hospitals, as I reported on The Spine. Today, it was the European Hospital in Khan Younis. At least 16 people were killed on Tuesday, some in direct clashes, some just because they happened to be where danger lurked. There were several simple executions, and not so simple executions besides. Two brothers were murdered on the spot, one by two bullets up close in the head. The other was riddled with 45 bullets. The killers did not want to leave the outcome to luck. Hamas captured the headquarters of Fatah security forces in Gaza. This suggests that it may win the battle there. In which case, Fatah will carry the fighting to the West Bank. You can read all about this in the Times online, on the Ha'aretz website and also the Jerusalem Post.