Fatah leader: PA forces are private fiefdoms
Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST Oct. 20, 2004
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The power struggle between rival Palestinian security services is the main
reason behind the state of anarchy and lawlessness in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip, a senior Fatah official said Wednesday.

Sakher Habash, a veteran member of the Fatah Central Committee and close
aide to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, accused the commanders
of the Palestinian security forces of running the services as if they were
private fiefdoms.
He said Arafat was unable to replace the security chiefs for fear that such
a move could trigger internecine fighting. "The
security forces have become private fiefdoms of their commanders," he added.

"Instead of being loyal to the Palestinian Authority, the security forces
are loyal to their chiefs. President Arafat is trying to contain the
situation in order to prevent a civil war."

Habash said the main problem was that the security chiefs have been in
office for many years. "These forces are responsible
for the security chaos in the Palestinian territories," he charged.

In an implicit reference to former security minister Mohammed Dahlan, whose
supporters have been accused of launching a series of attacks against rival
security forces in the Gaza Strip, Habash said: "When one of the security
commanders is dismissed from his job, his force remains subordinate to him
even if he's not in office. The situation is very serious and I fear that we
are heading towards the abyss and that things would get out of control."

The Fatah official called on Palestinians to rise against the "new mafia
tribal leaders" and said a group of thugs in the security forces was sowing
corruption and destruction in the Palestinian communities.

Although Habash did not refer to Dahlan by name, top PA officials in
Ramallah said the Preventative Security Service in the Gaza Strip has become
a private militia under Dahlan's control. Dahlan served as head of the
between 1994 and 2002, when he was fired by Arafat.

Earlier this week, Dahlan's men were involved in gun battles with members of
the Military Intelligence, headed by Gen. Musa Arafat. At least six security
agents from both forces were injured in the heavy clashes in Gaza City on
Monday and Tuesday. Dahlan has also been accused of standing behind the
assassination attempt on Gen. Arafat on October 12.

In a related development, the Palestinian police announced that 735 cases of
murder took place in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since the beginning of
2002. Figures released by the police showed that in 2003 alone there were
113 premeditated murders, most of which have not been solved.

Musa Abdel Nabi, a senior PA police officer, explained that upsurge in crime
to a number of factors, first and foremost the absence of the rule of law,
ignorance and the existence of ancient tribal traditions in Palestinian
society.

Palestinian human rights activist Adnan Najjar attributed the murders to the
state of anarchy prevalent in the Palestinian areas and the large number of
firearms in the hands of individuals and various groups. "The absence of a
proper judicial system and the rule of law have encouraged tribalism large
clans to take the law into their hands," he said.