PA officials acknowledge that Islamist fighters have launched a campaign
to expel or seize control of the UN Relief and Works Agency in the Gaza
Strip. The officials said the gunmen, believed linked to several militias,
have driven out nearly all foreign staffers of UNRWA as they seek to control
operations in refugee camps in the PA.
"The huge majority of foreign UN personnel are no longer in Gaza," an
official said. "The idea is to intimidate or expel the rest of them and gain
access to hundreds of millions of dollars in funding and supplies for the
refugee camps."
On March 16, Palestinian gunmen sought to abduct UNRWA operations chief
John Ging, one of the few senior officials left in the Gaza Strip. The
gunmen blocked an armed convoy and fired at least five times toward Ging's
vehicle. Nobody was hurt and the gunmen escaped.
"When it became clear that the vehicle doors were locked, they opened
fire directly on the car, resulting in 11 bullet holes in the vehicle's
side," UNRWA spokeswoman Gina Benevento said. "It was definitely a
kidnapping attempt, but it was not successful."
For his part, Ging termed the attack unprecedented. He warned that this
could affect UN staffers and operations in the PA.
"This is unprecedented because our vehicles were so clearly marked, and
the firing was directed at the vehicles themselves," Ging said. "So, this
has
very serious security implications for us and for our staff."
Fatah and Hamas have condemned the attack on UNRWA. After the PA, UNRWA
has been the largest employer in the Gaza Strip. The UN agency spends
hundreds of millions of dollars per year in food, education and other aid
for Palestinians in refugee camps.
The UN has urged the new Fatah-Hamas PA government to arrest those
responsible for the latest shootings. UNRWA representatives have warned that
they could not operate in a lawless environment.
"Our operation needs to continue," Ging said. "The one million refugees
depending on us need our operation, and that's why it's so urgent that
security be brought under control. We need law and order here in the Gaza
Strip first and foremost."
But Palestinians have been skeptical over the willingness of the new
government to impose order. As the Palestinian Legislative Council approved
the 25-member Fatah-Hamas Cabinet on Saturday, deputies, journalists and
representatives of non-government organizations protested the lack of safety
in the Gaza Strip. They highlighted the abduction of BBC correspondent Alan
Johnston by unidentified Palestinians last week.
