Palestinian Authority cabinet, in a special session, discussed Saturday a security plan presented by Palestinian interior minister, Hani Qawasmi, in a bid to enforce law and order in the unruly Gaza Strip.
The plan set by Qawasmi, in coordination with security officials, is intended at containing renewed factional infighting between Hamas and Fatah, abductions, thefts, fratricide and clan feuds throughout the Gaza Strip.
29 Palestinians were killed in March at many flashpoints in northern and southern Gaza Strip including Gaza city, Beit Lahia, Khan Younis and Rafah.
The cabinet’s spokesman, Ghazi Hammad, was quoted as saying “the plan tackles many security concerns including traffic, lawlessness, factional and family infighting”
Hammad admitted the fact that the situation in Gaza is ‘complicated’ voicing his cabinet’s determination to resolve all such problems.
Palestine News Network reported Saturday that the security plan is comprised of several goals, starting from cessation of infighting, halt of weapons proliferation throughout Gaza Strip as well as reformation the security bodies.
Mohammad Dahala, Fatah’s strong/front man, will be following up the security arranagmenets as a top security advisor to President Mahmoud Abbas, PNN revealed.
The PNN quoted well-informed sources as saying that Dahalan has already embarked on rehabilitating the Palestinian security services including terminating some of them.
In a different issue, Hammad did not confirm potential release of captured Israeli corporal Gil’ad Shalit, saying “ he can be released today, after one week or after two weeks as there have been relentless efforts to secure this release”.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas expected Friday that Shalit will be possibly released by Tuesday and demanded that Israel should set free 9,500 Palestinian prisoners, Israel continues to hold in various Israeli detention facilities.
Shalit was captured by Palestinian resistance groups in an unprecedented cross-border resistance attack on an Israeli army base to the south of Gaza Strip in June25, 2006.
Internal unrest in Gaza has claimed lives of more than 350 Palestinians and wounded hundreds others over the past four months, while Fatah and Hamas established early in March their first unity cabinet since Hamas taken power last January.
The poverty-hit Gaza Strip, due to continued international economic boycott, has witnessed an unprecedented state of chaos and lawlessness as Palestinian security bodies have been incapacitated largely.
Since last January’s Palestinian parliamentary elections, the international Quartet for Middle East peace (United Nations, United States, European Union, Russia), has been demanding the Palestinian government to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past signed agreements before it wins international recognition and gets aid money back.
