Gaza security restored, despite the blockade

The security service in Gaza has been restored and is now ready for a development phase. This was the message given by Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip, at a ceremony honouring Police College graduates on 7 March. The government’s intention is to have a professional security service that serves the Palestinian people, not the aims and objectives of the Israeli occupation. Denying rumours that there are internal divisions within the government, Mr. Haniyeh insisted that everyone is dedicated to serving their religion, their nation and their people.

“We are a national government with an Islamist frame of reference,” he said. “We rely on a positive policy of advancement, not on the negativity of simply resisting regression.” He feels proud, he added, when he sees what has been achieved despite the lack of resources, the blockade and last year’s fierce Israeli invasion. His government in Gaza has completed the restoration of a security service that places the supremacy of the law first and foremost so that high standards of professionalism, commitment and discipline are reached. The dual mission of building the nation while liberating it from the occupation is central to this aim and is imperative, he believes.

“Some want to keep us occupied with rumours and lies because they don’t want this government to succeed,” Mr. Haniyeh told the graduates, “but such games won’t work because there is no competition for positions [within the cabinet], there is no struggle between the generations, and there are no private security fiefdoms.”

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.