Sunday June 5, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

It happened again.
Armed Palestinians raided a local government headquarters.
This time it was in Nablus.

About 15 men, all wanted by Israel, demanded jobs and protection. They also wanted to retain their own weapons. The gunmen scattered as police arrived.

No arrests. Not even any attempts at arrest despite the fact that an employee of the office was hit. The gunmen claim it was an accident, they were only shooting into the air.

In an interview given by Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas to al Arabiyah News on Saturday, the PM said that he does not plan on disarming these militias. He said he wants to incorporate them into the mainstream security system.

In a democracy, only 3 groups of people are allowed to carry weapons:
the police, the army, those licensed by the State.
In the Wild West it is a different story.