In Gaza – it’s time to wear a mask
Posted: Wednesday, May 16, 2007 9:37 AM
By NBC News' Lawahez Jabari
I speak by telephone with my friends and colleagues in Gaza almost every day, and they say what's happening right now in Gaza is gruesome.
My friends tell me that when you walk down the streets of Gaza you see masked people, everyone is masked. Not just militants, but civilians as well. Everyone is scared to be seen.
They are scared because they could be killed or injured randomly, regardless of whether they have done anything wrong.
Inexplicable violence
Last Sunday when the top leader of Fatah militants was killed by Hamas militants, Gaza was immediately paralyzed. Schools closed, shops closed, everybody took cover and waited for events to unfold.
It's not like this was the first time a killing like that had occurred in Gaza, but this one was different because it wasn’t clear what had provoked the shooting.
In previous acts of violence there was always a reasonable explanation (if you can call any killing reasonable). One time it was Hamas wanting to get more power in the negotiations for unity government; another time it was Fatah wanting to get even in the government. But this time, while both parties are sharing the government, there was no clear motive and that was what got everybody so scared.
Gaza residents now believe both parties have started killing simply for the sake of killing. The biggest fear of Gazans has come true; with no law and order this is the time for anyone bearing an old grudge to act.
Settling old scores
In the past few months, as the political situation has deteriorated, law, order and reason have disappeared. Many of the killings and kidnappings have been the result of old scores being settled between families.
On Monday two journalists were traveling in their car in Gaza City. They were stopped and grabbed from the car by militants. They were killed on the spot not because they were leaders, or activists or party members. They were killed because they had beards.
Hamas members wear beards more often than Fatah members, so the speculation was that their beards were seen as a sign to Fatah militants. But as the journalists were neither; they were just two more casualties in a long list of indiscriminate killings.
In interviews with residents, the sense is that it's not important anymore whether you belong to Hamas or Fatah. If you run into militants, the chances are that you will be killed.
Now what?
And a truce now feels out of reach. Neither the local authorities nor the government can control the situation or provide security.
Until this week the two parties had something to gain from a ceasefire. But now, people ask themselves why the fighting? Why the killing? Is there an explanation for killing eight presidential guards at close range? And in this situation where there is no clear explanation for what is going on -- anything might happen.
In this chaos where the government is isolated internationally, authority paralyzed from within, and weapons everywhere, there is nothing to stop anything from happening -- for Gazan people it is hell.
It is time to wear a mask.
