Monday April 3, 2006

Column:

Today, everyday life in Gaza is akin to the goings-on in Sudan and the Ivory Coast. Gone are the good-old-days, the days when I was able to compare Gaza to the wild, Wild West.

Roving armed gangs roam through and control Gaza.
Moving from place to place requires paying tolls and passing through check points.
The tolls and check points are controlled by children (yes, children) toting machine guns.
Starting up a business is difficult to impossible, extortion is the rule and the cost of protection is sky high.
Kids with guns have more power than educated members of society.
Status is determined by the number of soldiers under your control and the quality of their weapons.

I am disappointed that anarchy now rules Gaza, but I am certainly not surprised. Palestinians are shooting at one another all over the Palestinian Authority. In Gaza they are killing each other off.

The Popular Resistance Committees is one of the stronger and better-armed groups living in and ruling Gaza. The organization was, originally, an offshoot of Fatah security forces. But in the January 25th elections they became a vocal supporter of Hamas and Hamas policies. Today the Popular Resistance Committees affiliates much more with Hamas than with Fatah and is in total sync with the Hamas approach to Israel.

A very powerful family from the southern part of Gaza controls the Popular Resistance Committees. The family is known as the Samahdneh Clan. They are responsible for many of the kassam rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel. The head of the Committee has been on Israel's "target hit list" for a very long time.

Last week the head of the Committee was murdered. His white Subaru was blown up on Friday morning as he and an associate were traveling along a Gaza road. His name was Abu Quka.

Who killed Abu Quka?

Israel had no comment on the explosion. There was a time when Israel refused to acknowledge any attacks against Palestinians. Then that policy changed. Today official Israeli policy is to claim credit/responsibility for all attacks against Palestinian targets - be they people or places or military installations. When Israel did not claim responsibility the Popular Resistance Committees members were forced to look closer at the murder and investigate whether it really was an Israeli attack or a local attack. They concluded that it was a local attack, or at least, an attack carried out with local support.

That explains why the funeral of Abu Quka, terrorist leader and Gaza gang lord, turned into a shootout.

At the funeral, members of the Popular Resistance Committees accused Palestinian Authority security forces of the murder. They had good reason. On Thursday, just the day before his car exploded, members of the Security Forces were seen spying on Abu Quka's home. The final claim was that the Palestinian Authority colluded with Israel in the assassination.

At the funeral, four people were killed and twenty-five, including two children, were wounded. One of the children is in serious condition. Most of the injured were hurt by the stray bullets that were being fired in all directions.

Palestinian Hamas leadership has called for an investigation into the explosion that killed Abu Quka. The government is also looking into the funeral melee which is a bit surprising since this is, after all, Gaza. But this time - officially the Hamas government can no longer let lords and punks set the rules and become the enforcers in Gaza. It is time for the Hamas government, at least officially, to step in and take control.

Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh has pleaded for calm and instructed Interior Minister Saed Seyam to conduct an investigation. Palestinian Authority Information Minister Yousef Rizka formed a committee to look into the whole affair. He has said that the government has pledged "to remove all weapons from the street."

But the problem is larger than a single assassination or a one-time fight-it-out funeral.

The problem is that Palestinian groups need their guns to protect themselves and their families from one another. The problem is that it is through their guns that Palestinians get respect. The problem is that the problem has been going on for too long and that Hamas cannot just remove all weapons from "the street."

The problem is not the people, but Hamas. Hamas will not give up their own weapons and they will certainly not be able to enforce a demand that others turn in their weapons.

The problem will only escalate and Hamas will be weakened. The Hamas-led Palestinian government is facing a substantial decrease in international aid and a substantial increase in international pressure. The armed thugs will not receive salaries, but they will get their bullets. The armed gangs will not go away, they will use their weapons to assert power, to control others and to extort money from innocents with less power.

I predict more internal violence in Gaza and much more killing. Gaza is a long term problem. Gaza is the place where Palestinians killing Palestinians is the norm.