Is the Palestinian Authority Losing Control in the West Bank?
by Khaled Abu Toameh, GATESTONE INSTITUTE
The security crackdown in the West Bank has nothing to do with combating terrorism. The arrests and confiscations of weapons are part of an effort by the Palestinian Authority to fight crime and dissension within its own ranks.
In recent weeks, the Palestinian Authority security forces have been launching a massive crackdown on anarchy and lawlessness in various parts of the West Bank.
The crackdown was ordered by Abbas after he discovered what many Palestinians have known for a long time: that his security forces and Fatah loyalists are responsible for the chaos and anarchy.
Palestinians say this is the biggest operation to be carried out by the Western-funded security forces since Mahmoud Abbas was elected to succeed Yasser Arafat as president of the Palestinian Authority in 2005,
Dozens of Palestinian security officers, some of them holding very high ranks, have thus far been rounded up and transferred to a Palestinian prison in Jericho.
The officers, who were trained and armed by US and EU security experts over the past years, are suspected of involvement in various types of crime, including extortion, armed robbery, kidnappings, physical assaults and fraud. Some of them, according to Palestinian sources in the West Bank, are also suspected of involvement in trafficking weapons and drugs, The clampdown was ordered by Abbas following a series of incidents in Jenin, which reached their peak when unidentified gunmen opened tried to assassinate the Palestinian governor of the city, Kadoura Musa, who was not hurt in the assassination bid, but died a few hours later of a massive heart attack.
Jenin residents said that the assassination attempt provided further evidence that the Palestinian Authority has lost control over their city. They said that for the past few years, Jenin has been under the control of local gangs whose members consisted mostly of former Fatah militiamen and security officers.
The ongoing security crackdown has also resulted in the arrest of scores of Fatah gunmen who were part of the faction’s armed wing, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
These security officers and Fatah gunmen have been imposing a reign of terror and intimidation on Palestinians not only in Jenin, but in other parts of the West Bank, including Nablus, the largest Palestinian city, and its nearby Balatta refugee camp.
Palestinian security sources say that the crackdown has also resulted in the confiscation of dozens of rifles and pistols, as well as large amounts of ammunition, that were found in the possession of clans, armed gangs and unruly security officers.
But while many Palestinians have expressed satisfaction with the decision to restore law and order, others have, meanwhile, criticized Abbas for acting in a “hysterical” manner.
Abbas’s critics complain that the weapons that his security forces have confiscated were being kept for use against Israel.
In Balatta refugee camp last week, dozens of Palestinians took to the streets, chanting slogans against Abbas and his security forces. The protest drew a harsh response from Abbas, who instructed his security personnel to expand the crackdown inside the camp.
In the short term, the Palestinian Authority may succeed in restoring law and order to areas under its control in the West Bank. But in the long term, the clampdown will increase bitterness and frustration among a large number of Fatah gunmen and security officers who feel betrayed by Abbas.
Abbas loyalists argue that their president if facing an “international conspiracy” aimed at undermining and isolating him because of his refusal to resume peace talks with Israel. According to these loyalists, Abbas’s enemies have been arming and funding disillusioned Fatah gunmen and security officers in a bid to spread anarchy and lawlessness in the West Bank.
Sources close to Abbas have identified the primary enemies as Mohammed Rashid, a former aide to Yasser Arafat, and Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief. Both Rashid and Dahlan are currently waging a smear campaign against Abbas and his two businessmen sons, Tarek and Yasser, accusing them of financial corruption and abuse of power.
The security crackdown in the West Bank has nothing to do with combating terrorism. The arrests and confiscation of weapons are part of an effort by the Palestinian Authority to fight crime and dissension within its own ranks.
The clampdown could last for weeks or months. Abbas is fighting to regain control over refugee camps and other Palestinian communities that have fallen into the hands of gangsters and thugs.
In the last week, Abbas has renewed his threat to go back to the UN to ask for recognition of a Palestinian state if Israel does not comply with his demand for a freeze of settlement construction and acceptance of the pre-1967 lines as the future borders of the state. But before he heads back to New York, Abbas will have to prove that he has not lost control over certain parts of the territories which are supposed to be under his jurisdiction.
Abbas and the PA: Legitimate “partners for peace?” Not.
Around 2005, President Bush and Condoleeza Rice apparently determined to force a peace deal on Jewish Israel. Arafat’s successor, Muhammad Abbas, had been telling Bush how strongly the palestinian people supported Abbas and the PLO. Bush and Rice believed him, and told him to hold an election in order to prove it to Jewish Israel.
Abbas could not get out of it. He tried to rig the election (in a weird way) so that the PLO would win. Each palestinian voter cast two simultaneous ballots: one for the political party he liked best (to elect his “national” representative), and one for his own local representative (who could be from a different political party).
This was the only fair and free election the palestinians have ever held. Hamas barely won the national vote, but overwhelmingly won the local vote. So in the newly elected palestinian parliament, Hamas outnumbered the PLO/Fatah by 2 to 1.
This was a disaster for Abbas, Bush and Rice. They quickly tried to invalidate the result by removing any actual power from Hamas. Hamas responded by eliminating the PLO in Gaza, and Hamas took total control there. Abbas countered by dissolving the palestinian parliament, attacking Hamas in the West Bank, and suppressing it there.
So now it gets even weirder: the 2006 election (won by Hamas), was for a term of four years. That expired two years ago, as did Abbas’ term as president of the PA. No new elections were ever held. So there has been no legitimate government in Gaza and the West Bank for over two years.
Abbas is still considered president of the PA by the US, the EU, and the international community, even though his term of office legally expired two years ago. Hamas is considered to be a “terrorist” organization, even though it is the only political party in palestine to ever win a fair and free election. In fact, if a new election were held today, Hamas would once again win overwhelmingly in both Gaza and the West Bank, just as it did in 2006. And if Abbas ever tried to make any actual concessions to Jewish Israel, his own people would kill him in a New York minute.
Jewish Israel (especially Netanyahu) knows this. Egypt, Syria, Gaza, and the West Bank are all in the process of rapidly destroying themselves (America and the EU are too). So all Jewish Israel has to do is hold on, and continue to chip away at the West Bank.
@ Samuel Fistel:
Welcome to the Potemkin Middle East.
Just another example of the insanity of those who really believe that the Palestinians are capable of ruling themselves. If they can’t find enough Jews to victimize they enjoy killing,torturing and robbing each other. Who says that all cultures are good?