Mahmoud Abbas used a recently kidnapped reporter, Lorenzo Cremonesi (pictured), to tell the world that he needs more time to assert control over the Gaza Strip. YNet reports:
“Now that the Israeli withdrawal has finished we can better address the problem. I hold that by the elections on January 25 the situation can be brought substantially under control,” Abbas told Corriere della Sera.
The interview was granted to Corriere journalist Lorenzo Cremonesi, who was abducted by armed men on Saturday near the Kfar Darom settlement in Gaza, and freed a few hours later. The abduction was an indication of increasing lawlessness surrounding the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, which was completed Monday.
Reuters notes that Cremonesi was kidnapped by people ostensibly loyal to Abbas. Whether he likes it or not, Cremonesi has clearly become a symbol of the anarchy Abbas is claiming he needs time to fight.
