A Palestinian Legislative Council investigation into the reasons for the chaos in the Palestinian Authority found that the central reason for the anarchy is that the PA and its leader, Yasser Arafat, have "failed to make a clear political decision to end it".
Additionally, the report calls for an end to Qassam rocket fire into Israel and attacks inside Israel, the resignation of the members of the Qurei government and general elections.
"The main reason for the failure of the Palestinian security forces and their lack of action in restoring law and order," says the report prepared by the five-member PLC committee, "is the total lack of a clear political decision and no definition of their roles, either for the long term or the short."
Last month, the PLC panel interviewed dozens of people, ranging from Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei to prominent commanders of security forces, as well as Fatah activists from all over Gaza. The testimony includes charges that the PA leadership failed to build state institutions so it ended up using clan mechanisms instead of the law to deal with out-of-control armed factions.
The report calls on Arafat and Qurei to define in law the role of the security forces, and to issue presidential orders to operate them until those laws are passed.
The report also slams the National Security Council that Arafat heads, for failing to set security strategy. It urges the Palestinian president "to use his authority to issue immediate orders to end all the dangerous activity taking place in the Gaza Strip by some of the commanders and men of the armed security forces intimidating the citizenry, creating chaos and harming the supreme interests of the Palestinian people."
The panel included Arafat loyalists as well as reformers, including Nabil Amr, who was shot at the height of the chaos and had to have his leg amputated. The committee was established in early July.
At the height of its deliberations came the dramatic wave of clashes, kidnappings and even shootouts between various Palestinian security factions. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
