Friday, November 19, 1999

RAMALLAH [MENL] -- The Palestinian Authority extorts businessmen to pay thousands of dollars in protection money to help fund security officials, a Palestinian legislative report says.

A report by the Palestinian Legislative Councils's Comptroller Committee said that at least three PA security services extort money from businessmen. They are the PA General Intelligence service, the military intelligence and the Preventive Security Apparatus.

PA military intelligence is headed by Mussa Arafat, the nephew of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat.

The report said a Ramallah-area businessman was forced to pay 60,000 shekels [$14,300] to a security agency. Another businessman was forced to pay $20,000. In both cases, the businessmen were detained until the money was paid.

The legislative report echoed assertions made in a report by the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group in 1998 regarding the extortion of Palestinian businessmen.

The legislative committee also said security agencies were detaining people without charges or trial and prohibiting relatives from visiting them. The Preventive Security Apparatus was holding scores of political prisoners in Jneid Prison in Nablus without trial and despite a High Court order for their release, the report said.

In a symposium last week in Ramallah, two PA ministers lambasted the Palestinian administration for taking illegal and harmful decision. PA Industry Minister Saadi Krunz said arbitrary decisions by PA officials results in a huge waste of money.

Krunz warned that unless the PA changes Palestinian society will suffer from chaos and lawlessness.

PA Labor Minister Rafik Natshe agreed and said the security agencies have dominated Palestinian society. "The judicial authority is not independent," he said.