Interior minister suspends resignation, starts his security plan

Sunday May 13, 2007 12:42 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies

Palestinian interior minister, Hani aL-Qawasmi, suspended Sunday his resignation and announced implementation of his long-waited security plan, aimed at restoring order to the unruly coastal region.

a presidential security officer in Gaza/ archive photo

Khaled Abu Helal, spokesman of the interior ministry, told IMEMC “the minister has suspended his resignation given his understating of the gravity of the security situation. The plan will be carried out within the available capabilities”.

Abu Helal went onto saying” the meeting that was held yesterday between the minister and the Prime Minister, stipulated that joint forces, made up of the ministry’s executive force and the other forces will be deployed in the streets to restore order”.

Palestinian Prime Minister, Ismail Haniya and the interior minister, aL-Qawasmi, agreed last night to launch a long-waited 100-day security plan, following a wave of internal violence over the weekend.

Prime Minister Haniya, met also with representatives of the conciliation committees and the Palestinian factions, in which parties agreed to pull out all the security forces from the streets and begin a comprehensive conciliation campaign.

The campaign is intended at coming to terms with all grieved families that have been affected by several months of internal unrest and infighting in a bid to restore calm to the Palestinian street.

Mohammd Alrefa’y, a local Gaza resident doubted sustainability of the security plan, given previously failed security and conciliation efforts.

The Palestinian Authority has so far carried out several actions, in an attempt to rein in the situation in Gaza, yet unrest continues to hit the Gaza Strip, as infighting, family feuds, robberies, bombings nd abductions still happen.

Over the weekend, nine Palestinians including six civilians were killed during a series of attacks and family disputes throughout the Gaza Strip, despite fan out of about 3000 security personnel in streets.

Approximately, 400 Palestinians have been killed during infighting over the past 14 months.

Prior to the formation of Palestinian unity government in late February, Fatah and Hamas, the largest Palestinian parties, negotiated for three weeks over who would be the interior minister. They both agreed on aL-Qawasmi, an independent academic, close to Hamas.

Since coming to power in 2006, Hamas has enjoyed majority in the Parliament and is now leading the coalition government, which is made up of the rival Fatah and other Palestinian groups, excluding the Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

gaza strip | internal unrest | news report rami at imemc dot org