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Thursday, October 30, 2003
[Against]Looting and burning in public places

[Against]Looting and burning in public places
By Abdul-Hadi Muslim and Muhammad Ahmed
The Jerusalem Times (independent Palestinian weekly) 30 October 2003
http://www.jerusalem-times.net/article/news/details/detail.asp?id=4290

Freedom of expression is a healthy right granted by all
international laws, enabling every individual to express himself peacefully
and in a legal manner. Rallies with hundreds of thousands of people take to
the streets around the world to criticize the ways of the government, and
the police do not interfere, but stand aside, watch, and organize traffic,
because the rallies are licensed and the people do not burn tires or smash
store windows.

The opposite happens in Palestine, where freedom of expression
usually takes a different direction; destruction of public property, attacks
on police stations, and burning of tires. The question that must be asked
is, What fault did those inanimate objects commit to deserve such treatment?

This report aims to shed light on this phenomenon, which
necessitates stern measures against wrongdoers and awareness campaigns to
reveal its threat and negative effects.

Ibrahim Abu Al-Naja, the top representative at the Legislative
Council, said that attacks against public venues began with the attack on
the Windmill Hotel, at which time the Higher Follow-Up committee of National
and Islamic Factions issued a statement condemning the attacks and warning
any individual or party from committing such actions. He added, "We
reiterate what the Higher Committee said; public property should not be
touched and anybody that commits such actions is not patriotic. The watchful
eyes [of the police] must remain alert and the law must take its course."

Abu Al-Naja indicated that there are parties keen on creating
problems and raising havoc. He wondered what message could be sent from a
burning tire that clogs roads and harms the environment, adding to the
environmental harm caused by Israeli dumping of toxic waste into Palestinian
territories.

Abu Al-Naja called on the people to spread awareness and
explained that criminal acts and acts detrimental to the community will be
faced sternly by the police and the residents.

Rabah Muhanna, leader at the Public Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, considered destruction of public venues and burning of tires
uncivilized actions, adding, "Public venues are for the benefit of the
people, how can we destroy them?" He assured that wrongdoers must be
punished by the law.

Salem Salama, dean of the Religion Faculty at the Islamic
University, said that all public property belongs to the Palestinian people,
which means that attacks on public property are attacks on all segments of
the Palestinian people. He called on the people to protect public
facilities, which, if destroyed, will be restored using the money of the
people.

About burning tires in roads, Salama said that this practice was
common in the first intifada, meant to disallow Israeli military vehicles to
enter Palestinian neighborhoods, which is unnecessary at present. He
stressed the need to spread awareness about the harm of burning tires, which
pollutes the environment and spreads disease.

National and Islamic factions called for bolstering national
unity, protecting the internal front, and putting an end to destructive
practices, violence, and all forms of corruption in order to focus better on
the battle with occupation.

Jamil Shihadeh, general secretary of the Arab Palestinian Front,
said that attacking and destroying public property and burning tires are
negative phenomena that appeared recently, adding that they do not serve the
Palestinian cause in any way. He considered attacks on public property
attacks on the Palestinian people.

Shihadeh indicated that such acts serve the interests of
occupation, igniting domestic conflicts that factions have been keen to
avoid.

About addressing the problem, Shihadeh said the solution is in
all segments of the community and all political and security parties uniting
to put an end to those acts and punish violators, warning of the negative
effects of these acts, which are detrimental to individuals and the
community at large.

Shihadeh also cautioned that burning tires carries health and
environmental harm, indicating that the correct way to express opinion is
through discussion or peaceful rallies, which reflect a civilized side and
guarantee the continuation of political work in a democratic atmosphere.

Abu Ahmed Halab, member of the Leadership Council of the
Palestine Liberation Organization, said that freedom of expression relies on
education but added that some parties have a different agenda from that of
the PLO, which gave rise not only to attacks on property, but also on
people. He said that serious action must be taken against violators.

Halab added that attacking public property is the result of
incitement and the absence of the law, in addition to failure to fight
corruption. He indicated that the solution is by helping everybody
understand that public venues are for the benefit of all the people.

Mousa Abdul-Nabi, commander of Intervention and Order-Keeping
Forces at the Police Corps., stressed the danger of the phenomenon of
attacking police centers and emphasized the need to respect the law and
public order, saying that the police will not allow anybody to raise havoc.
He considered firing at police centers a criminal act that serves only the
interests of occupation.

Abdul-Nabi said that the police respect and protect the people
and allow peaceful rallies as long as they do not violate the law.

Regarding measures taken by the police against violators,
Abdul-Nabi said that concerned authorities have programs designed to handle
such incidents. Among the programs is one by the Ministry of Education to
raise awareness among the people.

Abdul-Nabi called for fighting some negative phenomena,
especially burning car tires in the middle of roads and the destruction of
public streets. He added that objection should be expressed by peaceful
methods, reiterating the need to protect public property. He called on
mosque leaders to play a role and on the people to work to put an end to the
phenomenon.

There is national agreement that each person has the right to
express his opinion freely but in peaceful, civilized ways that convey
emotions and opinions at the right time to the right place in a manner that
preserves the dignity of the people.

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