Skip to main content

A Sort of Peace in Gaza

A Sort of Peace in Gaza: "On Patrol in Shijaiyah, the toughest neighborhood in Gaza City, Lieut. Naim Ashraf Mushtaha, 31, an officer of the Hamas Executive Force, spots a man in civilian clothes carrying an M-16 assault rifle and walking through the street suqs in broad daylight. His officers quickly encircle the suspect and demand that he identify himself and turn over the weapon. The man turns out to be a member of one of the neighborhood's most powerful clans, and he refuses to give up his gun. 'What's my name, boys?' he shouts to the gathering crowd of curious onlookers. 'Mohassi Abbas!' they shout back. 'See, everyone knows who I am,' says the gunman. 'I don't care who you are,' says Mushtaha calmly, without raising his voice or his weapon. 'No one is above the law.'On Patrol in Shijaiyah, the toughest neighborhood in Gaza City, Lieut. Naim Ashraf Mushtaha, 31, an officer of the Hamas Executive Force, spots a man in civilian clothes carrying an M-16 assault rifle and walking through the street suqs in broad daylight. His officers quickly encircle the suspect and demand that he identify himself and turn over the weapon. The man turns out to be a member of one of the neighborhood's most powerful clans, and he refuses to give up his gun. 'What's my name, boys?' he shouts to the gathering crowd of curious onlookers. 'Mohassi Abbas!' they shout back. 'See, everyone knows who I am,' says the gunman. 'I don't care who you are,' says Mushtaha calmly, without raising his voice or his weapon. 'No one is above the law.'"

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Broken Spring?       : Information Clearing House

Broken Spring?       : Information Clearing House This is a sequel to my June 2011 article, ‘After the spring’, on the upheavals in the Arab world. It is an article that has been painful to write, because it brings bad tidings and offers a pessimistic analysis of the upheavals, at least in the short term, in a number of Arab countries. The outcomes and potential outcomes of these uprisings have also acquired new, very significant dimensions. These include a complex entanglement with the accelerated preparations for a possible attack on Iran, and a poisonous, sectarian aspect that could have the consequence of ripping Syria and the Middle East apart.