Daily Alert Archives

Why Abbas Doesn't Want Fatah "Refugees" in the West Bank

[Jerusalem Post] Khaled Abu Toameh - The PA's refusal to receive members of the Hilles clan who fled Gaza on Saturday did not come as a surprise. PA officials explained that the reason was their desire not to encourage other residents of Gaza to leave. "Everyone knows that if we allow people to leave Gaza, almost all the residents living there would try to cross the border into Israel," said a senior PA official. There are other reasons why Mahmoud Abbas doesn't want the new refugees in the West Bank. One is related to fear that the presence of the Hilles clan in the West Bank would damage efforts to impose law and order there. The clan had established its own "mini-state" in Gaza, with its own military training base and a number of factories for manufacturing weapons. Members of the clan were also involved in various types of criminal activities. Abbas is still facing difficulties in reining in numerous Fatah gangs that continue to roam the streets of West Bank cities and villages. The last thing Abbas needs is another 180 bitter Fatah thugs from Gaza patrolling the streets of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Nablus and imposing a reign of terror on the local population. Past experience has shown that the Palestinians in the West Bank have never been enthusiastic about the presence of their brethren from Gaza among them.
2008-08-04 01:00:00
Full Article