Fatah slams PA legislator who called police cowards

Earlier, Issa Qaraqi ridiculed PA police forces for disappearing during an Israeli raid in Bethlehem.

By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
PA police 248.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
PA police 248.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
A Palestinian legislator from Bethlehem who described the Palestinian Authority police forces as cowards has drawn strong condemnations from his Fatah faction and security commanders in the West Bank. Issa Qaraqi, who represents Fatah in the Palestinian Legislative Council, was commenting on an incident that occurred last week in Bethlehem when IDF troops stormed the city in search of wanted gunmen. Qaraqi said he noticed that members of the PA security forces had disappeared during the Israeli raid. "They disappeared from all the streets," he complained. "They didn't even appear in front of their security headquarters, as we have been accustomed to seeing them there. They all remained inside or at home." Qaraqi claimed that the soldiers stayed in Bethlehem for several hours during which time they blocked streets, imposed curfews and prevented people from leaving their homes. No casualties were reported during the IDF operation. "How did we reach this situation?" Qaraqi, who also heads the Palestinian Prisoners' Club, asked. "We are neither an autonomous authority nor a people living under occupation. We are somewhere in the middle." He added that he and many Palestinians in Bethlehem felt "humiliated and impotent" because the PA policemen had failed to confront the IDF unit that was operating in the city. "We feel strong when we use force against each other," he said. "We are very good at repressing each other." Qaraqi compared the Palestinian policemen to rabbits and lashed out at the PA political leadership for instructing the security forces to avoid confrontation with the IDF. His unprecedented and scathing attack on the PA security forces was published on a number of Palestinian Web sites. Hamas-affiliated sites were also quick to quote the Fatah legislator's accusations. Several Fatah leaders responded by accusing Qaraqi of being "corrupt," noting that he was hiding in his bedroom when Palestinian teenagers were confronting soldiers during the intifada. Samir Qadih, a Fatah operative and member of the PA security forces, said Qaraqi was nothing but a "dwarf" trying to offend his masters. "It's shameful for a member of the Palestinian parliament to describe the Palestinian security forces as rabbits," Qadih said. "We do criticize negative things when they happen, but the security forces have an honorable record in defending the Palestinian people and they have sacrificed many of their men." Gen. Tawfik Tirawi, commander of the Fatah-controlled General Intelligence Force in the West Bank, launched a scathing attack on Qaraqi, accusing him of being an opportunist and corrupt. Tirawi's attack was also unprecedented because it was the first time that he had come out in public against a Palestinian politician from his own Fatah faction. "If the Palestinian Authority has no value in your view because it's living under occupation, so why did you agree to become a member of one of its most important bodies - the parliament?" Tirawi said, addressing Qaraqi. "Those who you are mocking at today enabled people like you to reach their positions. The 'rabbits' have at least learned from their mistakes. But 'lions' like you will lead us toward an uglier future."