Meanwhile, In The West Bank

Yesterday there were reports of continued violence and looting in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Lest anyone get confused as to who the thugs are, Fatah today stormed Hamas-controlled government buildings in the West Bank and evicted the tenants. They also told the people with ties to Hamas that they had better not return.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Hundreds of Fatah gunmen on Saturday stormed Hamas-controlled institutions in the West Bank, including parliament and government ministries, and told staffers that those with ties to Hamas will not be allowed to return.

Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met with the U.S. consul-general in Jerusalem, his office said. The meeting between Abbas and Jacob Walles took place at Abbas' headquarters in Ramallah hours before Abbas was expected to swear in an emergency government.

Abbas had dismantled the Hamas-Fatah coalition, fired Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and appointed Finance Minister Salam Fayyad in his place after Hamas took control of Gaza by force.

Deputy Parliament Speaker Ahmed Bahar of Hamas said Saturday that any government that does not win parliament approval is to be considered unconstitutional. Hamas has a majority in parliament, but the legislature stopped operating months ago after Israel arrested most of the Hamas members.

At the parliament, the Fatah supporters chanted, "Hamas Out," climbed on the roof of the building and fired in the air. They planted Fatah and Palestinian flags on the building, and also tried to seize the deputy speaker but were stopped by employees.

Many government employees tied to Hamas had not showed up for work on Saturday, the start of the work week in the West Bank, after Hamas took control of Gaza in a military campaign. Apparently, the staffers feared reprisals.

A member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent offshoot of Fatah, said his group planned to take control of all Hamas institutions, in response to Hamas' takeover of Gaza.

In Nablus at least seven people with ties to Hamas have been kidnapped. And back in jolly Gaza, mobs are looting border crossing facilities and Yasser Arafat's home has been stripped of everything – they literally took the walls.

Also Saturday, hundreds of Palestinians looted Palestinian police positions at the Erez crossing into Israel, drawing Israeli warning fire, witnesses said.

The looters walked off with scrap metal and furniture. The Israeli army said it was checking the report of shooting at the crossing, which has largely been closed for the past week.

Since the fall of Gaza to Hamas, Israel has permitted some senior Fatah officials to pass through Erez, via Israel, to the West Bank.

Meanwhile, a crowd looted the home of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, destroying one of the strongest symbols of the Fatah movement in the Gaza Strip, witnesses and Fatah officials said.

Fatah officials said the crowd took furniture, wall tiles and Arafat's personal belongings.

It isn't like either group has the moral high ground at this point. They do appear to be seeing who can claim the lowest point in the swamp, however. There are a lot of potential scenarios floating around out there as to where all of this is heading. But all of the speculation says that Gaza is going to be a very bleak place.