GAZA CITY, 24 April 2007 — A political battle for control of Palestinian security forces escalated yesterday after Interior Minister Hani Al-Qawasmi submitted his resignation but then agreed to stay on for now at the prime minister’s request. The dispute put a spotlight on deep differences within the Palestinian unity government that Hamas Islamists and President Mahmoud Abbas’ secular Fatah movement formed a month ago to try to end factional fighting in which dozens were killed.
Despite the deal, tensions between Hamas and Fatah have remained high and lawlessness has spread in the Gaza Strip. In his role as interior minister, Qawasmi was supposed to oversee the security services. But Abbas appointed Mohammad Dahlan, one of Hamas’ main rivals, to serve as national security adviser, angering the Islamist group.
Government spokesman Ghazi Hamad said Qawasmi submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a Hamas leader, but the prime minister refused to accept it.
A government official said the resignation was tendered a week ago and immediately rejected by Haniyeh.
Information Minister Mustafa Al-Barghouthi said the Cabinet, which met yesterday, also rejected the resignation and that Qawasmi was still at his post. Hamad said Qawasmi agreed to remain in the job for now, so that Haniyeh could discuss the matter more fully with Abbas, who was not expected to return from a European and Arab tour for another 10 days.
An Interior Ministry spokesman said Qawasmi’s desire to resign was connected to difficulties he encountered in trying to implement a new security plan — the first major decision approved by the fledgling government. Qawasmi was totally unknown in the fractious world of Palestinian politics before joining the unity government when it took office on March 17, the first Cabinet to unite the Hamas and Fatah.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hillal said Qawasmi’s wish to quit was based on difficulties in implementing the plan to battle a chronic lack of Palestinian security and which became one of his major responsibilities. “There are challenges in implementing the security plan and the minister was expecting to lay down certain conditions, particularly on forming a united internal security force,” said Abu Hillal.
Despite repeated promises from Palestinian leaders, the security services have been incapable of imposing law and order in an increasingly chaotic Gaza Strip and, to a lesser extent, in the occupied West Bank. Improving security and taking steps against militants determined to launch attacks on Israel are key conditions leveled by the Jewish state on making progress in the stalled Middle East peace process.
Meanwhile, according to a report from Walid M. Awad of Central Media Commission in Ramallah, over the past 24 hours, the Israeli occupation troops have killed 8 Palestinians in their teens and early twenties, in addition to a 17-year-old schoolgirl. Most of the killing took place in the West Bank — in Jenin, Nablus, Kufr Dan, Dir Abu Mishal and Aboud.
The number of Palestinians killed in such a short time, the rate of which was not seen in the last few months, can only indicate Israel’s renewed shoot-to-kill policy, giving the Israeli Army a free hand to operate in the occupied Palestinian territory as it pleases. The Israeli government aims at provoking Palestinian factions into taking violent reactions, in order for Israel to reuse terrorism and violence again as an excuse not to re-engage Abbas or the Arab Peace Initiative.
