Palestinian official in hot water for saying PA would prevent violence
Hussein al-Sheikh, head of the Palestinian Authority General Authority of Civil Affairs and member of the Fatah Central Committee, is facing sharp criticism from Palestinians for hinting that security coordination has not been suspended.
In an interview with The New York Times, al-Sheikh said that the Palestinian security services would continue to maintain law and order and fight terrorism, but acting on their own. “We will prevent violence and chaos,” he said. “We will not allow bloodshed. That is a strategic decision.”
Asked how the PA security forces would respond if they learned of a Palestinian’s intent to attack Israelis, al-Sheikh said that they would arrest him if he were still on the West Bank. But if the attacker were already inside Israel, he hinted that the Palestinians might warn Israel through an intermediary. “I will find a way to stop him,” he said.
Al-Sheikh was also quoted as saying that PA would slash the $105 million it sends to the Hamas-controlled Gaza
Strip each month in salaries and to cover utility fees and medical expenses.
Al-Sheikh’s statements sparked a wave of condemnations among Palestinians, including several factions and political activists, some of whom accused him of “treason.”
Critics pointed out that his statements contradicted Palestinian leaders’ recent claims that the Palestinians have halted security coordination with Israel to protest Israel’s intention to extend its sovereignty to parts of the West Bank.
Several Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the PLO’s Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) issued separate statements denouncing al-Sheikh’s statements.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said that al-Sheikh’s statements again show that the PA “has not changed its policy in dealing with the occupation, despite its claim that it has suspended security coordination.” Qassem warned that the PA leadership’s actions “undermine the ability of the Palestinians to face challenges and gives the occupation and the US administration greater ability to pass their plans.”
The PFLP said that al-Sheikh’s statements “prove that the Palestinian Authority’s decision to disengage from the Oslo Accords and sever relations with the occupation was not serious.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that al-Sheikh’s statements show that the PA leadership was “insisting on pursuing the path of capitulation.” The statements, the Gaza-based terror group said, “increase the Palestinians’ doubts about the Palestinian Authority’s credibility regarding the decision to end all agreements with Israel, including security coordination.”
Another Gaza-based group, Al-Ahrar, which consists of former Fatah activists, denounced al-Sheikh’s statements as “a new crime that underscores the extent of national, ethical, and moral decline of the despicable Palestinian Authority.”
On social media, several Palestinians accused al-Sheikh of “treason” and called for his removal from power. “What is the definition of treason in the eyes of those who still support al-Sheikh?” commented Palestinian political activist Ibrahim Muqbel.
Another activist, Ahmad Mansour, wrote on Facebook: “There’s no reason to be surprised [by al-Sheikh’s statements]. The man is not ashamed of his statements. He considers security coordination and protecting the occupation a heroic and national act to appease the Jews.”
Other Palestinians said they anyway never believed PA President Mahmoud Abbas when he announced last month that he was renouncing all agreements and understandings with Israel and halting security coordination with the IDF in the West Bank.
“Al-Sheikh and other Palestinian leaders in Ramallah can’t survive without working with Israel,” said Riham Anwar. “His statements are proof that our leaders are lying to us every day.” She and many activists also denounced al-Sheikh for saying that the PA would slash funds to the Gaza Strip.
“The Palestinian Authority is saying that it’s fighting against the Israeli annexation plan,” noted social media activist Wa’el Hijazi. “If you want the people to join the fight against annexation, you don’t punish the Gaza Strip by cutting the funding.”