Even the PA 'legislators' don't trust Abbas
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Posted by Naresh on 17:10:01 2005/09/16
In Reply to:
Re: Why we owe NOTHING to the Palestinians posted by Shelley
PA lawmakers demand cabinet resigns
Khaled Abu Toameh, THE JERUSALEM POST Sep. 15, 2005
Palestinian legislators on Thursday demanded the resignation of the cabinet of Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, holding it responsible for the ongoing state of anarchy and lawlessness in Palestinian Authority-controlled territories.
The demand came as Palestinian security officials confirmed on Thursday that large amounts of weapons and drugs were being smuggled into the Gaza Strip since Israel completed its withdrawal from the area. "Drug traffickers and arms dealers are exploiting the chaos at the Rafah border crossing to smuggle lethal and harmful items," said one official. "The Palestinians security forces have seized large amounts of drugs over the past few days."
"The situation is very dangerous, especially in the Gaza Strip," said Rouhi Fattouh, Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council. "We are demanding that the Palestinian Authority put an end to security chaos and start collecting illegal weapons. The Palestinian leadership isn't doing enough to impose law and order."
He said that in the aftermath of the disengagement, the Palestinians were facing huge challenges, particularly with regards to ending lawlessness and rampant corruption. Other challenges facing the PA, he added, include guaranteeing free and democratic parliamentary elections next January and combating poverty and unemployment.
Fattouh was speaking during a special PLC session to discuss a security report presented by the council's security committee. After hearing the details of the report, many legislators strongly criticized the performance of the cabinet and called for its resignation. They also called for the formation of an interim emergency cabinet that would run the affairs of the Palestinians until the parliamentary elections.
The legislators expressed outrage over the report because it ignored this week's chaotic scenes in the former settlements of the Gaza Strip and the assassination of Gen. Moussa Arafat, the former commander of the PA's Military Intelligence Force.
According to the report, the Interior Ministry is planning to recruit at least 5,000 new policemen to various branches of the security forces. However, the plan has been frozen because of budget considerations and because of demands to recruit thousands of gunmen belonging to the ruling Fatah party.
Noting that the PA had yet to fulfill its pledge to consolidate the security forces, the report accused Qurei's cabinet of negligence with regards to enforcing law and order. It also stressed the importance of putting an end to the phenomenon of masked gunmen roaming the streets of Palestinian cities and refugee camps.
Legislator Abdel Aziz Shahin held PA Interior Minister Nasser Youssef responsible for the continued anarchy. "There will be no stability until the security chaos ends," he said. "If the Palestinian resistance is sacred, who said that its methods are also sacred?"
Ahmed al-Dik, another lawmaker, said the recent events in the Gaza Strip were an indication of the "militarization" of Palestinian society. He proposed holding a no-confidence vote to topple the cabinet and replace it with an interim body that would govern up to the parliamentary elections.
Deputy PLC Speaker Hassan Khraisheh complained that the report had ignored the PA's handling of the recent wave of kidnappings of foreigners in the Gaza Strip. "Some used to say in the past that Yasser Arafat was responsible for preventing changes and reforms," he said. "But now that Arafat is gone, the situation is only deteriorating."
Legislator Hikmat Zeid said that there was no justification for the presence of masked militiamen in the streets of the Gaza Strip now that Israel has left the area. "The occupation has left the Gaza Strip, but the masked gunmen are continuing to patrol the streets with their weapons," he pointed out.
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