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| Israel-Palestine |
| Gunfire, Explosions Rattle West Bank Camp |
| 2005-06-22 |
| Wonder what they were celebrating, seething, bored about? BALATA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank - Palestinian gunmen fired shots and detonated an explosive device Wednesday as Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia left a building in a West Bank refugee camp where he was lecturing militants on the need to restore order to the streets. Don't think it worked. Maybe add a nice Powerpoint presentation? Earlier, the militants fired shots at the building from outside while Qureia was speaking inside. The shots were not directly aimed at Qureia and did not appear to be an assassination attempt, and the explosive device went off several hundred yards away from him. Qureia was unharmed but clearly angered by the incident, the latest sign of growing chaos and internal unrest in Palestinian areas. Sounds like just another day in the West Bank. One of the gunmen involved in the shootings told The Associated Press he was angry about the way Palestinian authorities had treated his father following his release an Israeli prison after 21 years. PAY HIM MUCH MONEYS!!! PAY ME MUCH MONEYS TOO!!! Ordinary Palestinians are growing frustrated with the armed gangs that rule the streets of many of their towns and their increasingly brazen disregard for the law. Palestinian officials say efforts to restore order are complicated by a security service severely weakened by more than four years of Palestinian-Israeli violence. Many of the militants are themselves security officers. Yeah, I always thought that might lead to problems. But that's just me... Qureia spoke out forcefully against the lawlessness in the West Bank city of Nablus last week, insisting that security officials do their jobs and maintain order. Hours later, a group of militants raided his empty vacation home in Jericho, demanding jobs in the security forces. They left after an hour, but threatened to shoot anyone who tried to arrest them. I HATE COPS! MAKE ME ONE! To emphasize his concerns about security, Qureia moved Wednesday's Cabinet meeting to Nablus. Before the meeting, the prime minister spoke to militants at a sports club in the nearby Balata refugee camp, a hotbed of militant activity, telling them that the lawlessness must end. "This country needs order, needs quiet," he said angrily. As he spoke, shots rang out in the background, startling the prime minister. Could you speak up? We can't hear you above the shots! Gunmen outside the building fired in the air, more than 100 yards from Qureia, witnesses said. Others shot directly at the building, but the bullets did not penetrate the wall, they said. Don't waste the ammo, kids. You might be needing it for the Civil War. The militants angrily waved their weapons in the streets, while other people tried to calm them down. Qureia's guards stood at the sports club's windows, their weapons trained on the gunmen. Wonder if they waved? Later, as Qureia and his entourage, including several Cabinet ministers, left the building, more gunfire erupted and an explosive device went off about 300 yards away from them. None of the officials was injured and Qureia was whisked away."This is part of the deterioration in the security situation and the chaos that we are trying to bring to an end," Deputy Prime Minister Nabil Shaath said. Yeah. Take your time, do it right... One of those who shot near the Balata sports club, Mahmoud al-Khatib, told the AP he acted out of anger and frustration at how officials treated his father following his release from Israeli imprisonment."When my dad came out of jail, the Palestinian Authority did not help him with anything," he said. "Officials live in luxury and we, the ones who gave so much to Palestine, have gotten nothing. I reached a point where I'm willing to kill so I can take back my rights, my father's rights, and the rights of all those like us," he added. I'll translate. PAY ME, PAY ME, PAY ME!!! Hours later in the West Bank city of Hebron, about 100 high school students, angry that their physics final exam was too difficult, attacked the education department, throwing stones at the building and burning tires in the streets. Anything these people AREN'T pissed off about? The students hurled rocks at some 70 Palestinian police officers, dressed in full riot gear and damaged a fire truck trying to put out the burning tires. The police surrounded the building and fired live bullets in the air to disperse the crowd. No injuries were reported. I'm tellin ya, save that ammo, boys. You're gonna need it. The Palestinian Center for Human Rights released a report last week listing a litany of violent incidents among Palestinians from June 9 to June 14 that killed seven people and wounded at least 20. The group said it "is gravely concerned at the continued deterioration in internal security as a consequence of the escalation in the misuse of weapons and security chaos" and called on the Palestinian Authority to restore order. Could this be progress? They aren't blaming the Jews? |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #4 I think you're right, Sharons plan is working. Without any real ability to attack the Israelis, they have to turn on each other. |
| Posted by: buwaya 2005-06-22 13:19 |
| #3 That reminds me of a video clip I saw not too long ago from a BBC documentary, I think. It was shown on Fox. The guy is the self-appointed judge, jury, and executioner of so-called "collaborators". He's made a reputation for it. In the interview, he's complaining about the fact that, though he's earned his nickname (Mr Death or whatever) by killing some dozens of unarmed men, the press has repeated the nickname and he thinks it will hurt his chances to get elected to some phreaking PA "office". He was telling the interviewer how "unfair" it was. Now that's a serious whiner, lol! |
| Posted by: .com 2005-06-22 11:55 |
| #2 Amen. You could add steeped in hate for that well-rounded Paleo. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-06-22 11:39 |
| #1 "Could this be progress? They aren't blaming the Jews?" Yes, actually. Sharons plan is working, I think. Note also - The West Bank included towns, where people lived befor 1948, as well as refugee camps filled with folks who went IN 1948. (in Gaza almost everyone lives in a camp) The camps have always been more militant and less orderly than the town, IIRC. Of course during the second intifada even the towns got violent, but I think the camps are still much harder places to maintain order. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2005-06-22 11:20 |