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Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23890-2005Feb14.html
Palestinian Police Won't Stop Militants
(AP/Washington Post) Lara Sukhtian - Palestinian policemen, who have been given the task of restraining militants, say they can't or won't do the job. A tour of four Palestinian security posts near the southern Gaza town of Khan Yunis found the policemen are there largely as symbols. "I will never raise my weapons against the fighters," one officer said. "I can only ask them not to fire." Many officers are more loyal to their clans or to militant groups than to the Palestinian leadership. Gaza residents are happy to see uniformed officers in the streets, yet most believe the officers are incapable of making them safe. "They can't stop anything or anyone right now," said Bassam Qannan, 42, in Khan Yunis. "It's all for show. They're useless."