Gaza suicide crisis: 'We're dead already'

When you take away hope, and squash the future and try to destroy the soul, this is what you get. Is this justice? Can you honestly answer that question?

Palestinian Protesters Clash with Israelis in West Bank

Associated Press/Bernat Armangue - A masked Palestinian throws back a gas canister previously shoot by Israeli forces, not pictured, during a protest to support Palestinian prisoners, outside Ofer, an Israeli military prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah, Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013. Palestinian protesters clashed with Israeli soldiers at a rally Tuesday in support of four imprisoned Palestinians on hunger strike, as hundreds of inmates said they were refusing food for the day in solidarity with the fasting inmates. One of the four hunger-striking Palestinians is 35-year-old Samer Issawi whose health has severely deteriorated after he has refused food, on-and-off, for more than 200 days. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

I posted this because of the previous post and my involvement with those living in the West Bank.

Palestinians have staged protests across the West Bank all week in solidarity with the 4,500 prisoners held by Israel. Four of the prisoners are staging a hunger strike and the worsening condition of one, Samer Issawi, sparked the latest round of unrest between the protesters and Israeli troops.

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Remember:  I conduct photojournalism workshops in the West Bank, so gather your group and come and learn a ton in the real world!  Workshops

Obama Letter: Aid to Israel should comply with the Law

reposted:  Jewish Voice for Peace

“My family in Israel has bomb shelters. They are, actually, safe. In Gaza, there is no such thing as “safe.” Please, ask your friends to join me in asking President Obama to make aid to Israel contingent on not using it to target civilians.”


I wear many hats. I’m a dad, a videographer, a Jewish Israeli, a veteran. But I’m telling you my story, and asking you to forward this email and ask your friends to sign this letter to President Obama about US military aid to Israel, as a human being, as a citizen of the world, and as someone who deeply cares about the people in Israel and Gaza.
My wife, kids and I live just on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel, where life during the past weeks for the most part carried on as normal. 
There were four sirens in the eight days of the Israeli operation, which means we had to move into a room in the house that has reinforced concrete walls. In our case, we went down to our apartment building’s bomb shelter for 10 minutes—as far as I know every apartment building in Israel has one. Fortunately, the kids took it well and were not scared.
In the south close to the border with Gaza where I’ve been working, life is much, much different.  People who could do so temporarily moved northward and stayed with family and friends out of rocket and mortar range.
Being outdoors when the siren goes off in the south is quite scary. Most rockets are relatively small, up to 12 pounds of explosives, and cannot bring down a building. But in the open space they splatter lots of metal fragments.
The bigger long distance rockets that were fired at lower intervals were the "Fajar" Rockets that carry 90 lbs of explosives. They cannot bring down a building but can destroy an apartment and killed 3 people in an apartment building. People in bomb shelters are considered to be safe.

And of course, the Iron Dome defense system reportedly destroyed 85% of rockets headed towards Israeli populated areas.
Still, in the south, the sirens went off many times a day and there was no school and no work because parents naturally wanted to be near their kids.
In contrast, in Gaza, the bombs dropped by the Israeli military ranged from 500 to 1,000 pounds, and in the past, also 2,000 pounds.  Ten or 20 times more powerful than those which they have sent our way.
When I’d go to our bomb shelter with my family, I would think of families like mine in Gaza. They had no sirens, no Iron Dome defense, no shelters, and because they are essentially trapped, nowhere to go.
But mostly, I thought about how terrified I'd be during the bombings.
There is no safe place to go in Gaza.
It wouldn’t matter if buildings had shelters since the Israeli bombs often flatten the building they hit. There's literally nothing left.  
I want you to ask your friends to sign this letter to President Obama asking him to make aid to Israel contingent on not using it to target civilians because there is no military solution. Not for Palestinians. Not for us Israelis.
To reach a true peace for all of us, Israeli and Palestinian, our governments must choose diplomacy over more bombing. The Israeli government must end its terrible siege of the Palestinians.
And the US must stop sending my government weapons they know will be used to violate the law and harm civilians.
I am happy we've reached a cease-fire and I hope this will lead to negotiations with the Hamas government. I remind myself that the British in pre-state Israel also considered the Israeli political groups terrorist entities.
With hopes for a fair and lasting peace for both of our peoples,

Dear President Obama,

We are Americans from small towns and big cities, and we are Palestinians and Israelis a world away. We are the women, men, and children who are suffering every single day in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, and we are the people from across the world who seek to end that suffering. We are mothers of soldiers and children of refuseniks. We are Jews and Muslims, Christians and atheists, and people of the many other traditions of the world.

And we are all united by our determination to see a truly just peace take root in Israel and Palestine. That goal became even more elusive during your first term, but the American voters have just given you a second chance to make history.

Our request is simple.

Fifteen church leaders have bravely spoken out in a letter to Congress--stating a principle that should be obvious: Israel, the biggest long-term recipient of US aid, should not be above the law. Mr. President, please condition US aid to Israel on compliance with US and international law. It must not be used to violate the rights of Palestinians.

Anything less is a danger to Palestinians, to Israelis, to Americans and to the entire world.

crossing borders project: Crossing Borders Book in Digital!

crossing borders project: Crossing Borders Book in Digital!

Immediate Need

Immediate Need
Susan Brannon October 3, 2004 Ameen is a studious, warm 16-year-old honor student from  Sebastia, an ancient town near Nablus in the West Bank .  For family  reasons having nothing to do with Ameen himself, his present host household  cannot keep him. We dearly need to find Ameen  a new home and school as promptly and carefully as possible.
We spent last weekend with Ameen at Sanea al-Salam~Oseh  Shalom Family Peacemakers Camp. Ameen is a  total pleasure.  At first quiet, he fit beautifully into camp and  related nicely to both children and adults. After a day doing the high ropes  course, and fully participating in various outdoor and Dialogue   relationship-building activities, he could stay up into the later hours   skillfully taking on the best of the youth and adults in chess.
Ameen isn't "any" kid.  He went through a rigorous  interview and testing process to win the privilege of coming to America to  study for a year. He receives a $125 monthly  check from the State Department toward his expenses, and there is an  additional $300 stipend for incidental expenses like school ID cards,  yearbook, and toiletries.  The program provides medical insurance for  him. Having Ameen in your home would mean  expanding not only his world, but yours as well. He is responsive, ready to help, and thoughtful.  He's a  gifted student from a hard-working family.  His father is a farmer, his  mother a teacher. MORE BACKGROUND ASSE International  Student Exchange Programs is one of the largest and "oldest" student  exchange programs in the U.S.A. Last year, we received a grant from the U.S.   Department of State to help run a pioneering high school  exchange  program that brings students from countries with predominantly  Muslim  populations to spend a year with a volunteer host family and go to  high  school here in the USA . Please see the link below for more  information. U.S.   Dep't  of State -- http://exchanges.stategov/education/P4L/  Youth Exchange and Study  Program (YES)  -- http://www.assecom/new_latest/english/home.html  Needed is a caring  family out there who would love a chance to think globally and act locally,  and move beyond the stereotypes perpetuated by traditional  media. Required is a thoughtful host home that would treat Ameen as a  family member  (a bed to sleep in, room can be shared with a host  sibling of more or less  the same age, family meals and a loving  atmosphere). Ameen is insured for  medical expenses and receives pocket  money every month from the Department  of State. Aside from usual  kindnesses, host families do not have any legal  or financial  responsibility for the students! Please contact: Marilyn Leonard, ASSE  Area Representative 3676 Woodley Drive, San Jose, CA 95148-2829 Tel: 408  528-9170    Toll free: 888-267-5707 E-mail:   beaconridge@msn.com or  marilynleonard@sbcglobal.net

Israeli `Death Squad' Kill Ten Palestinians including an 11-year-old

Israeli `Death Squad' Kill Ten Palestinians including an 11-year-old Girl in West Bank Cities
September 15, 2004 By MIFTAH
The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) is seriously alarmed at the continuation of Israel's policy of political assassinations and extra-judicial killings against prominent Palestinian personalities, activists, political figures and civilians.
In Nablus Israeli troops surrounded an apartment building citing the rounding up of `wanted men' as the reason for their military incursion into the city. Israeli troops started off by firing a missile into the apartment building killing all five `wanted men', then proceeded to blowup the building atop of the dead bodies destroying all the apartments, home to many, now homeless, families which lost not only their homes but also their belongings without prior warning. As the troops were driving their military vehicles in the old city of Nablus they fired randomly at residents killing an 11-year-old girl and wounding at least six others. In Jenin an Israeli Special Forces unit, `death squad', dressed up as Arabs invaded the city of Jenin killing four Palestinian members of the AlAqsa Brigades in a clear provocative act of escalation of violence against an already battered West Bank city. Amongst the four victims were two brothers cowardly killed by the Israeli special unit. Names of the nine Palestinians extra judicially assassinated and the 11-year-old girl killed in Nablus by Israeli troops today: Nadir IlAswad, Hani IlAqad, Mohammad Mirei, Abdel Haleem Salem, Milhim Abu Jameeleh and 11-year-old Maram Nahleh in Nablus . In Jenin the four are: Fadi Zakarneh, his brother Fawaz Zakarneh, Ibraheem Mahmoud and Mo'az Iqtate. Israel 's escalation is aiming to provoke and enhance violence and retaliation attacks. Sharon's government and `Defense Minister' should be held responsible for the deaths of innocent Palestinians and Israelis which is a direct result of freehand policy not holding Israel responsible for daily war crimes committed against captive Palestinians living under occupation. MIFTAH urges the international community, particularly through the established international legal mechanisms, to hold Israel fully accountable for such acts of terror. Israel 's campaign of political assassinations and extra-judicial killings must be halted and dealt with as a crime against the Palestinian people, and against humanity at large.

Commuting in the West Bank

Aljazeera Commuting in the time of occupation By Laila El-Haddad in Gaza  Thursday 09 September 2004, 19:05 Makka Time, 16:05 GMT
The Rafah crossing is now the Gaza Strip's only exit point It is well known that getting in and out of Gaza is not for the faint-hearted. But who could have known that this would take five taxis, four buses, one donkey cart and a combined total of 35 hours?
If tortuous is the word that best describes the route, then torturous is the word that perhaps comes closest to describing the journey. I needed to renew my US visa, but the Americans, like many Western countries, have closed their offices in Gaza . Tel Aviv is off limits to all Palestinians, and the next closest consulate is in Cairo , Egypt .  Israeli forces destroyed Palestine 's only airport in the southern Gaza Strip at the start of the present intifada, and have not given Palestinians access to their own facilities. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Israel is now Gaza 's only exit point. So like thousands of other Palestinians, we had to make the gruelling 18-hour trip to Cairo by land, after first running a gauntlet of Israeli checkpoints and the attendant humiliating, long- drawn-out procedures. I was not enthusiastic about the prospect of making the trip across the dreaded Rafah crossing, but prepared myself nonetheless. It was just before dawn, our bags were packed, and my six-month-old son, my mother and I girded ourselves for the journey ahead. A ride with a view We had barely begun our journey only to discover the coastal road connecting Gaza city to the central and southern Gaza Strip had been closed off to all vehicles by Israeli troops. Armoured Israeli bulldozers backed by Merkava tanks rumbled off into the distance after having just completed their job. To our east lay the illegal settlement of Netzarim, its 400 inhabitants living in a world within a world. A little more than 8000 settlers occupy approximately 40% of the land in the Gaza Strip; about 1.3 million Palestinians live on the remaining 60%.   Riding carts or walking along the coast is often the only option In front of us is a three-metre-deep pit, with towering mounds of sand behind it.  We stood with tens of other perplexed Palestinian travellers, wondering what to do next. Some, with no suitcases, risk crawling over the mound under a hail of Israeli fire. Others waited for the next best alternative - donkey cart, Gaza 's latest mode of travel. We waited until the first of the donkey carts arrived. Having been given word of the coastal closure, many local farmers had taken advantage of the supply and demand market to make a few extra shekels. Along with an elderly couple and our luggage, we held for dear life - and my son on to me - as the driver steered the rickety wooden vehicle down Gaza 's hilly coast and on to the shore. The journey was three kilometres through water, sand and gravel. Most travellers take it by foot, unable to afford the relative luxury of the $2 donkey ride. The invisible soldiers Ten minutes and several bruises later, we were back on the main road, a little wetter and a little wiser (wearing white pants while riding a donkey is a not so smart an idea, I realised). We waved down our second taxi, which transported us a kilometre south to our next hurdle: the Abu Huli checkpoint, dividing southern and northern Gaza .  This checkpoint was set up in the middle of some of Gaza 's most fertile farmland at the start of al-Aqsa Intifada. Several hundred donoms of land, including some belonging to my own family, were confiscated and razed in the process. Long wait at checkpoints makes travelling a daunting proposition Cars had backed up along the main road, and our driver told us we were better off waiting for it out without him, as it could be quite a long wait. We took shelter at a makeshift cafeteria. Along with a herd of stray goats and hundreds of other Palestinians, we waited for what stretched into four hours.  In Gaza , our occupiers are rarely seen. They hide behind military machines and heavily fortified sniper towers. They are cocooned in tanks behind massive pillboxes, or hover far above in US-built Apaches helicopters. They operate their checkpoints by remote control, and shout out their orders to us via megaphone.  The invisible soldier manning the Abu Huli checkpoint used the opportunity to taunt us. "Go back!" he shouted in Hebrew from behind a blackened window, with only the tip of his rifle showing. "We are not opening up for you today."  Impulsive and cruel Experience has taught us never to trust the invisible soldiers behind the blackened windows. Suddenly, without warning, the red light near the checkpoint turned green. The milling crowds of Palestinians stuck at Abu Huli scurried to find a seat in the waiting overloaded cars and make it through the checkpoint as quickly as possible. Lesson number two: soldiers behind blackened windows are as impulsive as they are cruel. The heat and dust are especially hard on infants and the elderly "Move along, cows," bellowed the voice behind the window, this time in broken Arabic. We took our third taxi to the Rafah crossing, only to learn that we had lost our place in line - new regulations require that you "make a reservation" for your date of travel.  They do not, of course, take into consideration travel conditions through the Gaza Strip.  The Israelis only allow one taxiload at a time of people to cross the fence dividing us from the heavily fortified border. We were bumped from car one to car 36. After haggling our way up to car 18, we found ourselves in a filthy surrounding with no shade and no chairs.  My son broke out in hysteric wails. He was hot, tired, and confused. I began to worry about heat stroke, and eventually a kind passenger offered his place in line. The worst of the first half of our journey was over. After a few more hours, we were on our way to Cairo . We arrived in the Egyptian capital at 11 pm . Back to Gaza After successfully getting my visa issued a few days later, we wasted no time and were back on the road to Gaza . We sped through the star-lit Sinai desert, a five-hour journey by night, to make it to the crossing in time - Israel has strict hours of operations: 8- 6pm .  After swiftly finishing with Egyptian passport formalities, we were asked to line up and waited for the first of two buses we would take that day within a distance of less than 200 metres. This first one would transport us only a few walkable metres away to the Israeli side.  A Palestinian lifts his shirt to be checked by Israeli border guard As with the taxis leaving the Gaza Strip, the Israelis give specific orders to the Egyptians that only one busload of people at a time may be sent over their way. And this busload is not to be unloaded on the other end until the last person has exited the customs area.  And so we waited in the blistering heat for our bus to arrive. But the bus didn't arrive. The first two buses could be seen at a distance stalled ahead of the Israeli side. One hour became two, then three, then five. The place was infested with flies that buzzed around, eager to feast on the daily influx of exhausted, sweaty travellers. I hadn't slept in more than 26 hours, and dozed off listlessly on some cardboard boxes. My son did the same - crying himself to sleep in my arms as I shielded him with a mosquito net.   Overflowing crowd When our bus finally arrived five hours later, we indulged in a fleeting moment of euphoria, as if its appearance would somehow change the reality of what awaited us. About 100 people and hundreds of bags were then crammed into a 60- seat bus, which sluggishly moved ahead to the Israeli side of the crossing.  Again we waited.  There was a refreshing breeze outside, but the driver relayed orders from the Israelis: We won't let you through until everyone is in the bus. I half-sat on piles of bags with my head squashed against the ceiling, my face strategically positioned towards the window - a small foot-long crack. Rafah can test the endurance of even the most patient commuter The woman next to me offered to hold my son. Soon I felt the air thinning. We were literally breathing in the smell of 24 hours of exhaustion.  One woman ripped off her headscarf and began banging on the bus door, "Open it ... please open it. I'm going to faint." And then she did. We splashed water on her face and fanned her with a cardboard box.  Soon another young woman fell to the floor. My mother, a physician, examined her and found her pulse nearly gone. The entire bus erupted in protest and finally the driver opened the door. We shouted to the Egyptians for some help: We have two women down here and there is no more water. "What would you have done if you waited on the border for 20 days?" said the officer, alluding to the 3000 Palestinians who were stranded at the crossing in August. The Egyptians are powerless by their own admission. Everything here happens according to Israeli orders, and the Egyptian officers are accomplices in an elaborately orchestrated act of humiliation.  Also with us were two children, accompanied by their parents, suffering from cerebral palsy. The father of one of them spotted the Egyptian officer and ran out of the bus towards him. "Can't you do something about this?" he shouted. "Look at my son, for God's sake. This is inhumane. Please!" The passengers saw his pleas for intervention as futile and wrestled him back to the bus. He broke down in tears.            Collective punishment The Israelis didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that a busload of human beings were practically suffocating to death before their eyes. Instead, they let pass truck after truck carrying gravel and cement, being used to build the Rafah "buffer zone" and the West Bank separation wall.  As if perfectly timed to maximise the bus passengers' suffering yet minimise the chance of fatalities, the Israelis gave our bus the green light to pass through, nine hours after we arrived. I felt an uncharacteristic urge to lash out at the first Israeli soldier I saw.  Two Palestinian women savour the joy of finishing the journey Alas, we were met by machine-gun-toting Israeli border police officers dressed in civilian clothes. Along with our stamped passports, they handed us the latest weapon in the Israeli armoury: a propaganda publication entitled "The Truth".  Stop firing Qassam rockets, and we'll stop collectively punishing you, it told us. You suffer at checkpoints and are stalled at the Rafah crossing as a result of your own actions; as a result of your "terrorist organisations". At the back of the booklet was a cartoon showing an evil-looking Arab firing a missile that backfires into "Palestinian society". "Terrorism kills you," said the caption. Now it all makes sense, I thought to myself. We force them to punish us; to humiliate us; to trap our handicapped and elderly and young in small, rundown buses in the midday heat for hours as a time until they faint and, sometimes, miscarry if pregnant. Now I clearly understand the Israelis' logic: their cruel, illegal occupation of our land is a result of our own actions. Aljazeera

Gazan Health

Gazan Health
Gaza Health wrote: On the 8th of September
Israeli occupying forces made an incursion into the Jabalia refugee camp - now home to 80,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendents for the past 56 years. The operation went on for three long days.
Day 1: September 8 In the first few hours of the incursion 4 people were killed and tens of others were injured, many of them seriously. According to physicians who tended to the wounded the Israeli soldiers targeted the chest, abdomen and lower limbs, of boys who were throwing stones at the army tanks and bulldozers while they demolished homes and razed agricultural land ( 30 houses were destroyed (10) completely & (20) partially which left at least (200) people homless). The youngsters were protesting in their own way against the presence of the occupying forces in their town, some of them didn't live to tell the tale. Day 2: September 9th, 10AM On my way to Al-Awda hospital I paid a visit to Al-Assria medical and community center (both hospital and medical center are run by the Union of Health Work Committees). The aim of my visit was to watch a rehearsal by the Al-Assria folklore dancing group. The kids are preparing for a tour in Britain organized by the Sheffield Palestine Solidarity Campaign, where they will perform the traditional Palestinian Dabka dance. Verses from the Quran were emanating from loudspeakers outside indicating one of the many funerals for the previous day's martyrs. The boys and girls were practicing seriously but enthusiastically, but they could not resist joking childishly about a member of their group who couldn't come to the rehearsal because the Israeli army was blocking his way due to the army presence nearby. The kids danced to traditional Palestinian Dabka music, but at the same time they endeavored to keep the music down so as not to offend the people at the nearby funeral. I finally decided against going to Al-Awda hospital after they called me to say that there were Israeli snipers monitoring the road to the hospital and it was too dangerous an undertaking. Day 2: September 9th 12 noon : As I left Jabalia, amidst the carnage Na'ima Naser from the nearby village of Beit Hanoun went into labor. Na'ima was pregnant with quadruplets as a result of IVF treatment after 16 years of infertility. During the last month of her pregnancy Beit Hanoun was besieged by the occupying army for 42 days, so Na'ima was unable to receive regular antenatal care, which had an added importance due to the large nature of her pregnancy. When she went into labor during the Jabalia incursion, even normal the seven minute drive to Al-Awda hospital became a dangerous journey because the army was operating close to the hospital. Despite all the odds she gave birth to 4 beautiful babies, 1 girl (Heba) and 3 boys (Mohammed, Abdel Kareem and Bader Eddin) Day 3: September 10, The aftermath The total death toll after the withdrawal of the army was 9 killed and 150 injured, at least 100 of the injured were children. Al-Awda hospital alone received 89 casualties – including 45 chidren – in addition to one health worker who was targeted by the army while on duty. During its three day operation the Israeli army severely damaged the water and telecommunications infrastructure in the area; needless to say this made it extremely difficult for residents to contact the emergency services to evacuate the wounded to the Al-Awda hospital nearby. Furthermore the disrupted water supply was an extra addition to the suffering to the people in the incursion area. As the days go by I realize how remarkable the Palestinian people in Jabalia, Nablus , Beit Hanoun, Rafah and elsewhere in Palestine are. They do their best to go on with their lives despite the war that has been imposed upon them by the Israeli occupation. Despite it all, life goes on, they sing and dance, build schools and get educations, train and compete in the international sporting competitions ( The Olympics and the World Cup qualifiers to name a few. I look at all this and dream of the day when the occupation ends the Palestinians receive the justice they have been awaiting for 56 years. Yours in solidarity,,, Dr. Mona El Farra Union of Health Work Committees Dr. Mona El Farra – UHWC

interview with Sakher Habash

Corruption should never be replaced with corruption” an interview with Sakher Habash
This week Palestine Report Online interviews Sakher Habash, member of Fateh's executive committee and coordinator for the Palestinian national forces, on the security situation in Gaza .
PR: What are the most recent developments with regards to the political crisis within the Palestinian leadership and the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in particular?  Habash: The crisis is not between the Palestinian Authority and the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades because there is no one body bearing the Brigades' name. There are several different statements being released by various groups under the name of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and there are contradictions in the content of these statements – some parties adhere to the party line of the Aqsa Martyrs while others do not. Therefore, we must distinguish between those who are self-proclaimed Aqsa Martyrs members and the true Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
I think the most recent statement, issued under the name of the Aqsa Martyrs about the attack on Palestinian Authority positions and the abduction of [police chief] Ghazi Jabali, is not really from the Brigades. The reason is that the true Aqsa Brigades adhere to the political line of Fateh. The Brigades have their own philosophy when it comes to resisting and striking at the occupation, which varies slightly from that of Fateh's, but on the issue of fighting corruption, the Aqsa Martyrs adhere to Fateh's line. I think the events we have seen recently are an attempt to spark a civil war and that those behind it are at the root of the corruption, claiming to be the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The current crisis, therefore, is not with the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades but with suspicious groups trying to shake the stability and security of the region in order to deliver a blow to the Palestinian Authority. PR: What can we do about the lack of security and rule of law in the Palestinian street?  Habash: The state of security chaos is a result of the failure to deal with problems from their inception. The popular saying goes, “treat your wound and it won't fester.” Corruption leads to more corruption and the state that we are in has occurred because of a few corrupt people who strive for material and financial goals that benefit only them. This situation in Palestinian society in which there is no rule of law, necessitates a strong and solid stance. We need more competent and trustworthy officials to be appointed in order to get matters under control. The honest and powerful should be running things not the deceitful and powerful, such as Jabali. His shamelessness has ultimately led to his weakness. In the end he was delivered a blow in his own workplace. One corrupt person should never be replaced with another. And any replacement should not be on the grounds of personal loyalties but rather loyalty towards the Palestinian cause. I should not appoint someone just because of his loyalty to me in disregard of his faults. The focus of the meeting today [July 20] with President Arafat was that the crisis calls for national unity on a sound and stable basis. We need honest people with integrity. PR: What is Fateh's role in reversing this state of chaos?  Habash: Fateh is calling for national unity and a unified stance in the Palestinian street. [Prime Minister] Abu Ala ' [Ahmad Qrei'] has said that he is convinced this state of chaos is the result of accumulation of going easy on vigilante groups and undisciplined militias. The groups that carry out corrupt actions must have their covers blown and Abu Ammar must be at the helm of this action, followed by the joint national forces. They must stand hand in hand and talk with the same tongue. They must also specify the exact nature of the corruption in order to get a real hold over the security situation. PR: What decisions were take when the Fateh Central Committee met with the national security council?  Habash: Our first decision was that Ghazi Jabali's resignation should never have been accepted. Rather, he should have been expelled from his position and a clean and honest person put in his place as the head of the police service. Saeb Al Ajez was chosen and he is a competent and clean man. As for Musa Arafat, there was a campaign against him because of some of his actions, namely land-taking, which indicates corruption. In my opinion, the choice of Musa Arafat was not a sound one. But, President Arafat is using his authority and he will have to bear the consequences of this decision. I think the people who rose up against the appointment of Musa Arafat are mostly people more clearly involved in corruption. Some are even involved with the Israeli occupation. When Abu Ammar wants to carry out reforms, he must choose the right people and put them in the appropriate positions at the right time. PR: Do you think that this wave of kidnappings signifies a new approach for some factions?  Habash: The people who carried out these abductions were gangs and their actions were criminal, especially when they attacked former police chief Jabali. How could his position as head of the police service be belittled in this way? This has opened the door to chaos in the Palestinian street. Now, we must reverse the mistake these groups have committed - a mistake which has actually given credence to the recent statements of [ UNenvoy] Terje Larson's about the Palestinians. His statements are in fact correct - we must fight the corrupt elements, which are allowing the world to say that the Palestinians should be put behind a security wall. PR: Is the Authority going to remove Musa Arafat because of the people's rejection of his appointment?  Habash: That is up to Abu Ammar. PR: Do you feel that the latest reforms were basically a reaction to what happened?  Habash: These changes were already on the table before all these events occurred. Unfortunately, however, the decisions were made at an inappropriate time. We hope that decisions will always be taken within the PA as actions and not just reactions because this is how things should operate. -Published July 21, 2004©Palestine Report http://www.palestinereport.org/article.php?article=441