With all attention given to the upheaval of Israeli politics, two striking developments from the PA have apparently slipped under the media radar. The first deals with the Palestinian security services, the second deals with the disposition of land from evacuated Gaza settlements. Success in both these spheres is supposed to win the confidence of Israel and world donors.
According to the Middle East NewsLine, the PA can’t account for one-quarter of its security personnel:
But legislators said that neither the PA Interior Ministry nor the Finance Ministry could confirm the identities of those on the payroll. They said up to 25 percent of the 60,000 officers were either fictitious or no longer worked for the security forces. PLC Economic Committee chairman Azmi Shueibi said $350 million has been channeled every month to pay the salaries of a reported 60,000 PA security personnel.
And the Jerusalem Post reports that the chairman of the PA Lands Authority, Frieh Abu Medin, admitted that the PA has failed to secure evacuated Gaza land. Investors and donors will surely be wary:
Abu Medin, a former minister of justice in the PA, pointed out that the PA security forces had failed to protect the infrastructure of the settlements, including electricity and water, which were destroyed by tens of thousands of Palestinians who went on the rampage in these areas shortly after the Israeli pullout.
Many Palestinians have complained over the past few weeks that armed gangs and large clans had fenced off several plots of land belonging to the former settlements. They said some of the intruders belonged to various branches of the PA security forces.
What’s the likelihood that any Western news services will follow up on the revelations?
