The disarmingly frank head of the new Palestinian security force

You can't say Mr Jamal Abu Samhadana minces his words.

He's been designated head of the new Palestinian security force established by the Hamas government, expressly to "help deal with rampant crime in the Palestinian territories".

Here's Mr Samhadana on his priorities for his new post:

We have only one enemy. They are Jews. We have no other enemy. I will continue to carry the rifle and pull the trigger whenever required to defend my people.

Perhaps his appointment shows that the Hamas PA government has a sharply post-modernist sense of irony.

For the man they've appointed to help deal with "rampant crime" is the head of the most powerful mafia-style criminal clan in Gaza:

The names Maswapir, Abu Amra, Abu Samhadana, and the Abu Rish Brigades are little known outside the Palestinian Authority (PA). But they are well-known to Palestinians. These groups, and about two dozen other clan-based militias, will determine the fate of Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal.

In the Western press, the focus has been on Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, thanks to their spectacular and horrific suicide attacks against Jewish targets. When mentioned at all in the media, the clan-based groups are usually grouped under the rubric of the "Popular Resistance Committees." As intended, the label sounds gloriously nationalistic. However, the real concerns of these militias are far more parochial and selfish.

Rooted in well-established kin groups, most are well-financed. Some run highly-profitable extortion, smuggling, illegal land-grab and kidnapping rings. Many have members who draw salaries from the PA's security services. Some are said by the Israelis to be financed by Iran, through payments funneled through Hezbollah and Syria.

These clan-based forces regularly defy the official PA administration, attacking PA officials, including judges and security officials ,when crossed. On the rare occasions when their members are arrested, they have mounted kidnapping expeditions of Palestinian officials and foreign aid workers to use as bargaining chips.

After the PA and Hamas recently came to an agreement on a period of quiet during the Israeli pullout from Gaza, some of the clans began shelling Israeli targets as a sign of their displeasure at being excluded from the political negotiations. Another method the clans have used to undermine the PA has been to kidnap PA officials they accuse of corruption, and then videotape their confessions.

The clans in the southern Gaza Strip -- near the Egyptian border -- such as the Abu Samhadana, based in Rafah, smuggle not only civilian contraband, but also arms that are sold to other clans and militias. Politics provides yet another profitable (if non-monetary) racket: As was demonstrated during the last round of municipal elections, the clans sell blocs of votes to the highest bidder, in return for protection and other perks.

Here's a 2003 account, based on information from the IDF and Islam Online, of the Abu Samhadana clan's methods, including how their operation also includes trafficking of prostitutes:

In the period after the 1993 Oslo Accords, the Palestinians constructed a complex network of tunnels underneath the Egypt-Israel border in the Rafah area of the Gaza Strip. The tunnels are used to smuggle weapons, cigarettes, drugs, and people (primarily prostitutes) from Egypt into Gaza. Consequently, the city of Rafah has become a focal point for smuggling illicit contraband throughout the Palestinian Authority.


Inside the Tunnels

The smuggling tunnels are often elaborate, and may contain wood-paneling, electrical infrastructure, communications equipment, and elevators. Small tunneling machines, imported with the full knowledge of the Palestinian Authority, are used to dig these subterranean passages.


Tunnels Often Concealed in Houses

The Rafah tunnels are typically dug inside residential homes, and are concealed under bathrooms, living rooms, and bedrooms. On October 12, 2001, two tunnel entrances were discovered inside a child's bedroom. Another such tunnel was uncovered on September 12, 2002.

.......

On August 10, 2002, the Islamic web portal, "Islam Online," published an interview with an individual named "Honey."

Honey identified himself as an active "expert" in the excavation of clandestine subterranean passages in the Rafah area, and described how he and his friends dug tunnels in which Palestinian terrorist organizations smuggled arms.


The following is a transcript of the "Islam Online" interview:

Determining the Most Suitable Location for a Tunnel

After determining the most suitable location to begin work, engineers survey the ground, which must be of a firm, and not overly sandy consistency. The further the point of origin is from the (Israeli) border, the less chance there is of being caught.


How the Tunnels are Dug

A pit is dug one meter wide and between twelve to fourteen meters deep. Supports are placed on the sides of the pit. The pit is dug to a depth of at least twelve meters so that Israeli detection devices cannot detect tunnels at this depth. The tunnel is dug horizontally so that it has a width of forty centimeters by forty centimeters. Every three meters wooden planks are placed alongside the four sides of the tunnels so it doesn't collapse. Various mechanical devices are used to overcome natural obstacles like rock, including a machine that removes sand via suction. An electrical cable is hung in the tunnel to provide lighting.
.......

The work is conducted clandestinely. The sand is not removed all at one time, but is placed in flour bags and transported to a remote location. A lookout is posted at the entrance to the tunnel to ensure that the work continues unimpeded. The completion of one tunnel takes three months or more. The last tunnel we built took three months. The workers who build a tunnel receive a percentage of the profit generated from smuggling weapons.

Between six to twelve meters are dug every day. The last tunnel we dug was two hundred and thirty meters long. At either end of the tunnel there is a "work manager;" the two work managers maintain contact by code, usually via phone. The workers on the Egyptian side direct where the tunnel exit will be. The exit from the Palestinian side is steep (a straight vertical shaft), while it is gradually inclined on the Egyptian side.

Construction of a tunnel costs a minimum of $10,000. The minimal cost for smuggling weapons is $300 and the money is split between the five partners for building and maintaining the tunnels.


Smuggling Method

If someone is interested in smuggling weapons, he makes a coded request and the workers schedule the date for the smuggling operation. The codes and passwords are transferred via [land-line] phones and cellular phones. The transfer from one side to the other takes between five to ten minutes and is carried out using an engine which pulls a rope.


Smuggling Prices

The following prices vary according to location and item.


Person: $1,000

AK-47 assault rifle from Egypt to Gaza: 2,000 Egyptian liras

AK-47 assault rifle within Gaza: $1,000

AK-47 bullet from Egypt to Gaza: 0.5 Egyptian Liras.

AK-47 bullet within Gaza: $3

Source of Weapons: Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, and the Salom area in Libya.

So how is the BBC covering the story of Abu Samhadana's appointment as the man to deal with rampant crime in the Palestinian territories?

Not a word about the history of the Samhadana clan.

We have him represented as "a top militant".

Let's be fair. The t-word is used, but only in terms of showing you that's what the Israels say about him:

Jamal Abu Samhadana, wanted by Israel on terror charges.

And beyond that, you just get a quasi-heroic picture of him as the leader of the "Popular Resistance Committees, striving to unite the "factions" with the security forces:

Mr Samhadana, 45, leads the Popular Resistance Committees militant faction and has escaped several Israeli assassination attempts.

The group has been responsible for many attacks on Israel, including rockets launched from Gaza in recent weeks.

"I will continue to hold the rifle and will pull the trigger whenever required to defend my people," Mr Samhadana told Reuters news agency.

On hearing of his appointment, he commented: "Factions and security services should unite in one trench against the daily Israeli aggression against our people."

It seems that no matter how open and frank the Gaza mafioso-style terrorist Abu Samhadani is, there are some things the BBC just doesn't care to hear.

UPDATE: More that you won't hear from the BBC on the real nature of the current internecine infighting amongst the Palestinian terrror groups here, here and here.

Comments

[Huldah]

Thanks for this - very interesting and enlightening.

[Lynne]

"disarmingly"? Interesting choice of words to apply to someone who is highly involved in gun-running.

[henry gurwood]

$3 for a single bullet? That seems very high! Especially given the Arab propensity to celebrate everything with prolonged bursts of fire into the air..

That would work out as a pretty expensive way of having fun!

Are these prices quoted correctly?